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ONE  HUNDRED 


SCRIPTURAL  ARGUMENTS 

FOR  THE 


UNITARIAN  FAITH. 


THIRD  EDITION. 


PRINTED  FOR  THE 


American  Unitarian  Association. 


BOSTON, 

ISAAC  R.  BUTTS  AND  CO. 

PRINTERS  TO  THE  AMERICAN  UNITARIAN  ASSOCIATION, 

1826. 


Price  2  Cents . 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

/ 

in  2018  with  funding  from 
University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign 


https://archive.org/details/unitariantracts1826amer 


SCRIPTURAL  ARGUMENTS. 


*1 

Unitarian  Christians  believe  Jesus  Christ  to  be  the 
Son  of  God  and  the  Saviour  of  men.  They  believe  in  the 
divinity  of  his  mission  and  in  the  divinity  of  his  doctrines. 
They  believe  that  the  Gospel,  which  he  proclaimed,  came 
from  God  ;  that  the  knowledge  it  imparts,  the  morality 
it  enjoins,  the  spirit  it  breathes,  the  acceptance  it  pro¬ 
vides,  the  promises  it  makes,  the  prospects  it  exhibits, 
the  rewards  it  proposes,  the  punishments  it  threatens,  all 
proceed  from  the  great  Jehovah.  But  they  do  not  be¬ 
lieve,  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Supreme  God.  They 
believe  that,  though  exalted  far  above  all  other  created 
~  intelligences,  he  is  a  being  distinct  from,  inferior  to,  and 
dependent  upon,  the  Father  Almighty.  For  this  belief 
they  urge,  among  other  reasons,  the  following  arguments 
from  the  Scriptures. 

I.  Because  Jesus  Christ  is  represented  by  the  sacred 
writers  to  be  as  distinct  a  being  from  God  the  Father  as 
one  man  is  distinct  from  another.  “It  is  written  in  your 
law,  that  the  testimony  of  two  men  is  true.  I  am  one 
who  bear  witness  of  myself,  and  the  Father  that  sent  me 
beareth  witness  of  me,' ’  John  viii,  17,  18. 


4 


SCRIPTURAL  ARGUMENTS. 


28 


II.  Because  he  not  only  never  said  that  himself  was 
God,  but,  on  the  contrary,  spoke  of  the  Father ,  who  sent 
him  as  God,  and  as  the  only  God.  “  This  is  life  eternal, 
that  they  might  know  Thee  the  07ily  true  God ,  and  Jesus 
Christ  whom  thou  hast  sent,”  John  xvii,  3.  This  lan¬ 
guage  our  Saviour  used  in  solemn  prayer  to  u  his  Father 
and  our  Father.” 

III.  Because  he  is  declared  in  unnumbered  instances, 
to  be  the  Son  of  God.  “  And  lo,  a  voice  from  heaven, 
saving,  this  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased,” 
Matth.  iii,  17.  Can  a  son  be  coeval  and  the  same  with 
his  father  ? 

IV.  Because  he  is  styled  the  Christ ,  or  the  anointed  of 
God.  {t  God  anointed  Jesus  of  Nazareth  with  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  with  power,”  Acts  x,  33.  Is  he  who  anoints  the 
same  with  him  who  is  anointed  ? 

V.  Because  he  is  represented  as  a  Priest.  <£  Con¬ 
sider  the  *  *  *  high  Priest  of  our  profession,  Christ 
Jesus,”  Heb.  iii,  1.  The  office  of  a  priest  is  to  minister 
to  God.  Christ,  then,  as  a  priest,  cannot  be  God. 

t 

VI.  Because  Christ  is  Mediator  between  the  “  One 
God,”  and  “  men.”  “  For  there  is  one  God,  and  one  Me¬ 
diator  between  God  and  men,  the  man  Christ  Jesus,”  1 
Tim.  ii,  5. 

VII.  Because  as  the  Saviour  of  men,  he  was  sent  by  the 
Father.  “  And  we  have  seen  and  do  testify  that  the  Fath¬ 
er  sent  the  Son  to  be  the  Saviour  of  the  world,”  1  John 
iv,  14. 

VIII.  Because  he  is  an  apostle ,  appointed  by  God. 
“  Consider  the  apostle,  *  *  *  Christ  Jesus,  who  was  faith¬ 
ful  to  him  that  appointed  him,”  Heb.  iii,  1,2. 


29 


SCRIPTURAL  ARGUMENTS. 


5 


IX.  Because  Christ  is  represented  as  our  intercessor 
with  God.  “  It  is  Christ  that  died,  yea  rather,  that  is 
risen  again,  who  is  even  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  who 
also  maketh  inter  cession  for  us Rom.  viii,  34. 

X.  Because  the  head  of  Christ  is  God.  “  I  would 
have  you  know,  that  the  head  of  every  man  is  Christ  ; 
and  the  head  of  the  woman  is  the  man  ;  and  the  head  of 
Christ  is  God”  1  Cor.  xi,  3. 

XI.  Because  in  the  same  sense,  in  which  we  are  said 
to  belong  to  Christ,  Christ  is  said  to  belong  to  God.  “  And 
ye  are  Christ’s,  and  Christ  is  God’s,”  1  Cor.  iii,  23. 

XII.  Because  Christ  says,  “  My  Father  is  greater  than 
all,”  John  x,  29.  Is  not  the  Father,  then,  greater  than 
the  Son? 

XIII.  Because  he  affirms,  in  another  connexion,  and 
without  the  least  qualification,  “My  Father  is  greater  than 

John  xiv,  28. 

XIV.  Because  he  virtually  denies  that  he  is  God,  when 
he  exclaims,  “  why  callest  thou  me  good?  There  is  none 
good  but  one,  that  is  God,”  Matth.  xix,  17. 

XV.  Because  our  Saviour,  after  having  said,  “  I  and 
my  Father  are  one,”  gives  his  disciples  distinctly  to  un¬ 
derstand  that  he  did  not  mean,  one  in  substance ,  equal  in 
power  and  glory,  but  one  only  in  affection  and  design , 
&c.  as  clearly  appears  from  the  prayer  he  offers  to  his 
Father  in  their  behalf, — “that  they  all  may  be  one;  as 
thou ,  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee ,  that  they  also  may 
be  one  in  us,”  John  xvii,  21. 

XVI.  Because  the  Father  is  called  the  God  of  Christ, 
as  he  is  the  God  of  Christians.  “Jesus  saith  unto  her, 

vol.  i.  1*- 


6  SCRIPTURAL  ARGUMENTS.  30 

*  *  *  go  to  my  brethren,  and  say  unto  them,  I  ascend  un¬ 
to  my  Father  and  your  Father  ;  and  to  my  God  and  your 
God ,”  John  xx,  17. 

XVII.  Because  an  apostle  says  of  God,  in  distinction 
from  the  “  Lord  Jesus  Christ, ”  that  He  is  the  “ only  Po¬ 
tentate/’  and  that  He  “ only  hath  immortality,”  1  Tim. 
vi,  15,  16. 

XVIII.  Because  it  is  the  express  declaration  of  the 
same  apostle,  that  the  Father  is  the  one  God ,  and  there 
is  none  other .  “  Though  there  be  that  are  called  Gods, 

whether  in  heaven  or  in  earth,  (as  there  be  gods  many, 
and  lords  many,)  yet  to  us  there  is  but  one  God ,  the  Father , 
of  whom  are  all  things,”  1  Cor.  viii,  5,  6. 

XIX  Because  the  power  which  Christ  possessed 
was,  as  himself  affirmed,  given  to  him.  “  All  power  is 
given  unto  me,”  &x,  Matth.  xxviii,  18. 

XX.  Because  he  positively  denies  himself  to  be  the 
author  of  his  miraculous  works,  but  refers  them  to  the 
Father ,  or  the  holy  spirit  of  God.  “  The  Father  that 
dwelleth  in  me,  he  doeth  the  works,”  John  xiv,  10.  “If 
I  cast  out  devils  by  the  spirit  of  Godf  &c,  Matth.  xii, 
28. 

XXI.  Because  he  distinctly  states,  that  these  works 
bear  witness,  not  to  his  own  power ,  but  that  the  Father 
had  sent  him ,  John  v,  36. 

XXII.  Because  he  expressly  affirms,  that  the  works 
were  done,  not  in  his  own,  but  in  his  FatheFs  name ,  John 

x,  25. 

XXIII.  Because  he  asserts,  that  “  him  hath  God  the 
Father  sealed i.  e.  to  God  the  Father  he  was  indebted 
for  his  credentials,  John  vi,  27. 


31  SCRIPTURAL  ARGUMENTS.  7 

XXIV.  Because  he  declares,  that  he  is  not  the  author 
of  his  own  doctrine.  “  My  doctrine  is  not  mine ,  but  his 
that  sent  me,”  John  vii,  16,  17. 

XXV.  Because  he  represents  himself  as  having  been 
instructed  by  the  Father.  “  As  my  Father  hath  taught  me , 
I  speak  these  things,”  John  viii,  28. 

XXVI.  Because  he  refers  invariably  to  the  Father -as 
the  origin  of  the  authority  by  which  he  spoke  and  acted, 
“  The  Father  hath  given  to  the  Son  authority,”  &,c. 
John  v,  26,  27. 

XXVII.  Because  he  acknowledges  his  dependence  on 
his  heavenly  Father  for  example  and  direction  in  all  his 
doings.  “  The  Son  can  do  nothing  of  himself,  but  what 
he  seeth  the  Father  do,”  John  v,  19.  “  The  Father  lov- 

eth  the  Son,  and  sheweth  him  all  things,  that  himself 
doeth,”  John  v,  20. 

XXVIII.  Because  he  says,  “  I  seek  not  mine  own 
glory;  but  I  honor  my  Father ,”  John  viii,  49,  50. 

XXIX.  Because  he  declares,  “  if  I  honor  myself ,  my 
honor  is  nothing  ;  it  is  my  Father  that  honoreth  me,”  John 
viii,  54. 

XXX.  Because  an  apostle  declares,  that  in  Christ 
dwelt  all  fulness,  because  it  so  pleased  the  Father,  Col.  i,  19. 

XXXI.  Because  Christ  is  uniformly  represented  in 
the  scriptures,  not  as  the  primary ,  but  the  intermediate, 
cause  of  all  things  relating  to  our  salvation.  One  God, 
the  Father,  of  whom  are  ail  things,  and  we  in  him  ;  and 
one  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom  are  all  things,  and  we  by 
himf  1  Cor.  viii,  6. 

XXXII.  Because  he  declares,  “  I  am  not  come  of 
myself,”  into  the  world,  “for  I  proceeded  forth  and 


8 


SCRIPTURAL  ARGUMENTS. 


32 


came  from  God,’:  John  viii.  42,  vii,  28.  “  Jesus  knowing 

***  that  he  came  from  God  and  went  to  God &lc,  John 
xiii,  3. 

XXXTII.  Because  he  affirms,  that  he  had  not  the  dis¬ 
posal  of  the  highest  places  in  his  own  kingdom.  u  To  sit 
Gn  mv  right  hand  and  on  my  left  is  not  mine  to  give ,  but 
it  shall  be  given  to  them  for  whom  it  is  prepared  of  my 
Father Matth.  xx,  23. 

XXXIV.  Because  our  Saviour,  referring  his  disciples 
to  a  future  time,  when  they  would  understand  more  ac¬ 
curately  concerning  him,  expressly  declares  that  then  they 
would  know  him  to  be  entirely  dependent  upon  the  Father. 

“  When  ye  have  lifted  up  the  Son  of  man,  [i.  e.  cru¬ 
cified  him,]  then  shall  ye  know  that  1  am  he,  [i.  e.  the 
Messiah,]  and  that  Ido  nothing  of  myself ;  but  as  my  Fath¬ 
er  hath  taught  me, '1  speak  these  things,”  John  viii,  28. 

XXXV.  Because  our  Saviour  always  professed  to 
have  no  will  of  his  own  ;  but  to  be  ever  entirely  guided 
and  governed  by  the  will  of  his  heavenly  Father.  “  For 
I  came  down  from  heaven,  not  to  do  mine  own  will,  but  • 
the  will  of  him  that  sent  me,”  John  vi.  38. 

XXXVI.  Because  he  expressly  denies  that  he  is  pos¬ 
sessed  of  the  divine  attribute  of  independent  existence. 

“  As  the  living  Father  hath  sent  me,  and  /  live  by  the 
Father .”  &c,  John  vi,  57. 

XXXVII.  Because  he  expressly  disclaims  the  pos¬ 
session  of  the  divine  attribute  of  underived  existence.  “  As 
the  Father  hath  life  in  himself,  so  hath  he  given  to  the 
Son  to  have  lhe  in  himself,”  John  v,  26. 

XXXVIII.  Because  he  positively  denies,  that  he  is 
possessed  of  the  divine  attribute  of  omnipotence.  “  I  can 
of  mine  own  seif  do  nothing,”  John  v,  30- 


33 


9 


SCRIPTURAL  ARGUMENTS. 

* 

XXXIX.  Because  he  expressly  disclaims  the  possess¬ 
ion  of  divine  attribute  of  omniscience.  “But  of  that 
day,  and  that  hour,  knoweth  no  man,  no,  not  the  angels 
which  are  in  heaven,  neither  the  Son ,  but  my  Father  onlyF 
Matt.  xxiv.  Mark  xiii,  32. 

XL.  Because  Christ  is  said  in  the  Scriptures  to  have 
been  “  tempted  of  the  devil  f  Matth.  iv,  1.  But  “  God  can¬ 
not  be  tempted  with  evil/’ 

XLI.  Because  it  is  related  of  our  Saviour,  that  “  he 
continued  all  night  in  prayer  to  God,”  Luke  vi,  12.  Why 
should  Christ  thus  pray,  if  he  himself  were  God  1 

XLIL  Because,  in  presence  of  a  numerous  company 
before  the  resurrection  of  Lazarus,  he  gave  thanks  to  the 
Father  for  having  heard  him .  “  Father,  I  thank  thee 

that  thou  hast  heard  me,  and  I  knew  that  thou  hearest 
me  always,”  John  xi,  41,  42. 

XLIII.  Because  Jesus  besought  his  Father  to  glorify 
him .  “  And  now,  O  Father,  glorify  thou  me  with  thyself, 

with  the  glory  which  I  had  with  thee  before  the  world 
was,”  John  xvii,  5.  The  being  who  prayed  to  God  to 
glorify  him,  cannot  be  God. 

XLIV.  Because  he  implored  that,  if  it  were  possible, 
the  bitter  cup  might  pass  from  him,  adding,  “  neverthe¬ 
less,  not  as  I  will,  but  as  thou  wilt,”  Matth.  xxvi,  39. 

XLV.  Because  he  said,  “  Mv  God,  my  God,  why  hast 
thou  forsaken  me  1”  Matth.  xxvii,  46.  Can  he  who  utter- 
ed  this  be  the  supreme  God  1 

XLVI.  Because  he  never  paid  his  adorations  to  him¬ 
self  the  Son,  nor  to  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  he  should  have 
done,  had  the  Son  and  the  Holy  Ghost  been  God  ;  but 
always  to  the  Father. 


34 


i 0  SCRIPTURAL  ARGUMENTS. 

#- 

XLVII.  Because  he  never  instructed  his  disciples  to 
worship  himself  or  the  Holy  Ghost ,  but  the  Father ,  and 
the  Father  only.  “  When  ye  pray,  say,  our  Father 
which  art  in  heaven/5  Luke  xi,  2.  “  In  that  day.  ye  shall 

ask  me  nothing.  Whatsoever  ye  ask  of  the  Father  in  my 
name,'’  &c,  John  xvi,  23.  “  The  hour  cometh  and  now 

is,  when  the  true  worshippers  shall  worship  the  Father  in 
spirit  and  in  truth  ;  for  the  Father  seeketh  such  to  worship 
him,”  John  iv,  23. 

XLVIII.  Because  it  was  not  the  practice  of  the  apos¬ 
tles  to  pay  religious  homage  to  Christ,  but  to  God  the 
Father  through  Christ.  “  I  thank  God  through  Jesus 
Christ,"  Rom.  vii,  25.  “  To  God  only  wise,  be  glory 

through  Christ,'  Rom.  xvi,  27.  “  I  bow  my  knees  unto 

the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  Eph.  iii,  14. 

XLIX.  Because  St  Peter,  immediately  after  being  fill¬ 
ed  with  the  Holy  Spirit  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  thus 
addressed  the  Jews  ;  “  Ye  men  of  Israel,  hear  these 

words  ;  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  a  man  approved  of  God  among 
you,  by  miracles,  and  wonders  and  signs,  which  God  did  by 
him  in  the  midst  of  you,  as  ye  yourselves  also  know  ; 
him,  being  delivered  by  the  determinate  counsel  and  fore¬ 
knowledge  of  God,  ye  have  taken,  and  by  wicked  hands 
have  crucified  and  slain  ;  whom  God  hath  raised  upf 
&c,  Acts  ii,  22 — 24. 

L.  Because  St  Paul  expressly  states,  that  “  all  things 
are  of  God ,  who  hath  reconciled  us  to  himself  by  Jesus 
Christ,”  2  Cor.  v,  1 8. 

LI.  Because  the  same  apostle  gives  “  thanks  to  God , 
who  giveth  us  the  victory  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,” 
1  Cor.  xv,  57 


35 


SCRIPTURAL  ARGUMENTS. 


li 


LII.  Because  it  is  said,  that  it  is  “  to  the  glory  of  God 
the  Father ,”  that  “  eve'ry  tongue  should  confess  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  Lord/’  Phil,  ii,  11. 

LIII.  Because  the  Scriptures  affirm,  that  “  Christ 
glorified  not  himself  to  be  made  a  high  priest,  but  He 
[glorified  him]  who  said  unto  him,  thou  art  my  Son,  this 
day  have  I  begotten  thee,”  Heb.  v,  5. 

LIV.  Because  it  is  expressly  asserted,  that  God  gave 
to  Christ  the  Revelation  which  was  made  to  the  author 
of  the  Apocalypse,  Rev.  i,  1. 

LV.  Because  an  apostle  speaks  of  Christ,  only  as  the 
image  of  God.  “  Who  is  the  image  of  the  invisible  God,” 
Col.  i,  15.  2  Cor.  iv,  4.  It  would  be  absurd  to  call  any 
one  his  own  image. 

LVI.  Because  Christ  is  stated  to  be  46  the  first  horn 
of  every  creature Col.  i,  15. 

LVII.  Because  he  is  said  to  be  “  the  beginning  of  the 
creation  of  God,”  Rev.  iii,  14. 

LVIII.  Because  the  Scriptures  affirm,  in  so  many 
words,  that  “  Jesus  was  made  a  little  lower  than  the 
angels,”  Heb.  ii,  9.  Can  God  become  lower  than  his 
creatures  ? 

LIX.  Because  Peter  declares  that,  “  Christ  received 
from  God  the  Father  honour  arid  glory ,  when  there  came 
such  a  voice  to  him  from  the  excellent  glory,  this  is  my 
beloved  Son,”  &c.  2  Peter  i,  17. 

LX.  Because  it  is  represented  as  necessary  that  the 
Saviour  of  mankind  should  “  he  made  like  unto  his  breth¬ 
ren  f  Heb.  ii,  17. 

LXI.  Because,  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  Christ 
is  compared  with  Moses  in  a  manner  that  would  be  impi¬ 
ous,  if  he  were  the  Supreme  God.  “  For  this  man 


12 


SCRIPTURAL  ARGUMENTS 


36 


[Christ]  was  counted  worthy  of  more  glory  than  Moses 
inasmuch,’*  &c,  Heb.  iii, 3. 

LXII.  Because  he  is  represented  as  being  the  servant , 
the  chosen ,  the  beloved  of  God,  and  the  recipient  of  God's 
Spirit.  “  Behold  my  servant,  whom  I  have  chosen,  in 
whom  mv  soul  is  well  pleaded  ;  I  will  put  my  spirit  upon 
him/'  &c.  Matth.  xii,  18. 

LXIII.  Because  he  himself  expressly  declares  that,  it 
was  in  consequence  of  his  doing  what  pleased  the  Father 9 
that  the  Father  was  with  him,  and  did  not  leave  him  alone. 
“  He  that  sent  me  is  with  me;  the  Father  hath  not  left 
me  alone,  for  I  do  always  those  things  that  please  him,” 
John  viii,  29. 

LX1V.  Because  he  is  said  to  have  “  increased  in  wis¬ 
dom,  and  in  favour  with  God  and  man/  Luke  ii,  52. 

LXV.  Because  he  speaks  of  himself  as  one  wrho  had 
received  commands  from  the  Father.  “  The  Father,  who 
sent  me,  he  gave  me  a  commandment,”  John  xii,  49. 

LX  VI.  Because  he  is  represented  as  obeying  the 
Father,  and  as  having  been  “  obedient  unto  death,”  Phil, 
ii,  8.  Even  as  the  Father  said  unto  me,  so  I  speak* 
John  xii,  50.  “  I  have  kept  my  Father’s  command¬ 

ments,”  John  xv,  10. 

LXV1I.  Because  Christ  “  learned  obedience  by  the 
things  which  he  suffered  f  and  through  sufferings  was 
made  perfect  by  God ,  Heb.  v,  8  ;  ii,  10. 

LXV  HI.  Because  he  is  spoken  of  in  the  Scriptures 
as  the  first  born  among  many  brethren ,  Rom.  viii,  29. 
Has  God  brethren  ? 

LXIX.  Because  Christ  calls  every  one,  who  obeys 
God,  his  brother.  “  W  hosoever  shall  do  the  will  of  my 
Father  in  heaven,  the  same  is  my  brother ,  Matth.  xii,  50. 


37 


SCRIPTURAL  ARGUMENTS. 


13 


LXX.  Because  he  offers  to  the  faithful  the  like  dis¬ 
tinction  and  honour  that  himself  has  with  the  Father.  “  To 
him  that  overcometh,  will  I  grant  to  sit  with  me  in  my 
throne,  even  as  I  also  overcame,  and  am  set  down  with 
my  Father  in  his  throne,”  Rev.  iii,  21. 

LXXI.  Because  God ,  in  the  latter  ages,  hath  spoken 
by  his  Son ,  and  appointed  him  heir  of  all  things,  Heb.  i,  2. 

LXXII.  Because  Christ  is  styled  the  first  begotten  of 
the  dead ,  Rev.  i,  5. 

LXXIII.  Because  it  is  declared  that  God  raised  him 
from  the  dead.  “  This  Jesus  hath  God  raised  up,  where¬ 
of  we  are  all  witnesses,”  Acts  ii,  32. 

LXX1V.  Because  God  poured  out  upon  the  Apostles 
the  Holy  Spirit,  through  Jesus  Christ ,  Tit.  iii,  6. 

LXXV.  Because  the  reason,  assigned  for  the  Holy 
Spirit  not  having  been  received  earlier,  is,  that  Jesus  was 
not  then  glorified.  “  The  Holy  Ghost  was  not  yet  given, 
because  that  Jesus  was  not  yet  glorified,”  John  vii,  39. 

LXXVI.  Because  it  is  affirmed  that  Christ  was  exalt¬ 
ed  by  God  to  be  a  Prince  and  a  Saviour,  Acts  v,  31. 

LXXVII.  Because  God  made  that  same  Jesus,  who 
was  crucified,  both  Lord  and  Christ,  Actsii,  36. 

LXXVIII.  Because  God  gave  him  a  name  which  is 
above  every  name,  Phil,  ii,  9. 

LXXIX.  Because  Christ  was  ordained  of  God  to  be 
the  judge  of  quick  and  dead,  Acts  x,  42. 

LXXX.  Because  God  will  judge  the  secrets  of  men 
by  Jesus  Christ,  Rom.  iii,  16. 

LXXXI.  Because  all  judgment  is  committed  to  Christ 
by  the  Father ,  John  v,  22. 

LXXXII.  Because  our  Saviour  grounds  the  impor¬ 
tance  of  his  judgment  solely  upon  the  circumstances,  that 

vol.  i.  2 


14 


SCRIPTURAL  ARGUMENTS. 


38 


it  is  not  exclusively  his  own  judgment,  which  he  pro¬ 
nounces,  but  that  of  the  Father  who  sent  him.  “If  I 
judge,  my  judgment  is  true  ;  for  I  am  not  alone,  but  / 
and  the  Father  that  sent  me,”  John  viii,  16. 

LXXXIII.  Because  it  is  said,  that  when  he  was  re¬ 
ceived  up  into  heaven,  he  “  sat  on  the  right  hand  of  Godf 
Mark  xvi,  19. 

LXXXIV.  Because  St  Paul  affirms,  that  Christ,  even 
since  his  ascension,  “  liveth  unto  God,”  and  “  liveth  by  the 
power  of  God,”  Rom.  vi,  10.  2  Cor.  xiii,  4. 

LXXXV.  Because  it  is  affirmed  of  Christ,  that  “  when 
all  things  shall  be  subdued  under  him,  then  shall  the  Son 
also  himself  be  subject  unto  him  that  put  all  things  un¬ 
der  him,  that  God  may  be  all  in  allf  1  Cor.  xv,  28. 

LXXXVI.  Because  the  Apostle  John  asserts  that 
“  no  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time  ;”  which  is  not  true, 
if  Christ  were  God. 

LXXXVII.  Because,  in  the  prophecies  of  the  O.  T. 
that  relate  to  Christ,  he  is  spoken  of  as  a  being  distinct 
from  and  inferior  to  God,  Deut.  xviii,  15.  John  i,  45. 

LXXXVIII.  Because  the  Jews  never  expected,  that 
any  other  than  a  being  distinct  from  and  inferior  to  God, 
was  to  be  their  Messiah,  and  yet  there  is  no  evidence 
that  our  Saviour  ever  so  much  as  hinted  to  them  that 
this  expectation  was  erroneous. 

LXXXIX.  Because  it  does  not  appear  from  the 
Scriptures,  that  the  Jews,  except  in  two  instances,  ever 
opposed  our  Saviour  on  the  ground  that  he  pretend¬ 
ed  to  be  God  or  equal  with  God;  whereas,  had  it  been 
his  custom  to  assume  such  identity  or  equality,  in  his 
conversation  with  a  people  so  strongly  attached  to  the 
doctrine  of  the  divine  unity ,  he  would  have  found  him- 


39 


SCRIPTURAL  ARGUMENTS. 


15 


self  involved  in  a  perpetual  controversy  with  them  on 
this  point,  some  traces  of  which  must  have  appeared  in 
the  N.  T. 

XC.  Because  in  these  two  instances ,  when  charged, 
in  the  one  case,  with  making  himself  God,  and  in  the 
other,  with  making  himself  equal  with  God,  he  posi¬ 
tively  denies  the  charges.  In  reply  to  the  charge  of 
assuming  to  be  equal  with  God ,  he  says  immediately, 
u  The  Son  can  do  nothing  of  himself,  but  what  he  seeth 
the  Father  do  and  directly  after,  “  I  can  of  my  mine 
own  self  do  nothing,”  John  v,  19,  30.  In  answer  to  the 
charge  of  making  himself  God ,  he  appeals  to  the  Jews, 
in  substance,  thus  ;  Your  own  Scriptures  call  Moses  a 
god,  and  your  magistrates  gods  ;  I  am  surely  not  inferior 
to  them,  yet  I  did  not  call  myself  God,  but  only  Son  of 
God,  John  x,  34,  35,  36. 

XCI.  Because,  had  his  immediate  disciples  believed 
him  to  be  the  Almighty,  would  they  have  been  so  familiar 
with  him,  have  argued  with  him,  betrayed  him,  denied  him, 
fled  from  him,  and  left  him  to  be  dragged  to  the  cross? 

XCII.  Because  the  Apostles,  after  they  had  been 
filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost  on  the  day  of  pentecost, 
did  not  preach  that  Christ  was  God  ;  but  preached 
what  was  altogether  inconsistent  with  such  a  doctrine  ; 
Acts  ii,  22  ;  xiii,  23  ;  xvii,  3,  31  ;  xxii,  8. 

XCIII.  Because  there  is  no  evidence  to  prove,  that  the 
first  converts  to  Christianity  ever  incurred  the  imputation 
of  idolatry  from  the  Jews,  as  they  must  have  done,  had 
they  believed  and  taught  that  the  Son,  as  well  as  the 
Father ,  is  Jehovah  ;  while  it  is  notorious  that  this  impu¬ 
tation  has  been  among  the  most  common  of  the  Jewish 


scriptural  arguments. 


40 


16 

reproaches  against  Christians,  since  the  Trinity  became 
a  doctrine  of  the  church. 

XCIV.  Because  there  are,  in  the  N.  T.  seventeen  pas¬ 
sages,  wherein  the  Father  is  styled  one  or  only  God,  while 
there  is  not  a  single  passage  in  which  the  Son  is  so  styled, 

XCV.  Because  there  are  320  passages,  in  which  the 
Father  is  absolutely,  and  by  way  of  eminence,  called  God; 
while  there  is  not  one  in  which  the  Son  is  thus  called. 

XCVI.  Because  there  are  105  passages,  in  which  the 
Father  is  denominated  God,  with  peculiarly  high  titles  and 
epithets ,  whereas  the  Son  is  not  once  so  denominated. 

XCV II.  Because  there  are  90  passages,  wherein  it  is 
declared  that  all  prayers  and  praises  ought  to  be  offered 
to  Him  and  that  every  thing  ought  to  be  ultimately  di¬ 
rected  to  his  honour  and  glory  ;  while  of  the  Son  no  such 
declaration  is  ever  made. 

XCV  III.  Because,  of  1300  passages  in  the  N.  T. 
wherein  the  word  God  is  mentioned,  not  one  necessarily 
implies  the  existence  of  more  than  one  person  in  the 
Godhead,  or  that  this  one  is  any  other  than  the  Father . 

XCIX.  Because  the  passages,  wherein  the  Son  is  de¬ 
clared,  positively ,  or  by  the  clearest  implication,  to  be 
subordinate  to  the  Father,  deriving  his  being  from  Him ,  re¬ 
ceiving  from  Him  his  divine  power ,  and  acting  in  all  things 
wholly  according  to  His  will ,  are  in  number  above  300. 

C.  Because  in  a  word,  the  supremacy  of  the  Father, 
and  the  inferiority  of  the  Son,  is  the  simple  unembarrass¬ 
ed ,  and  current  doctrine  of  the  Bible  ;  whereas,  that  of 
their  equality  or  identity  is  clothed  in  mystery,  encum¬ 
bered  with  difficulties,  and  dependent,  at  the  best,  upon 
few  passages  for  support. 


HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 

By  EDMUND  Q.  SEWALL. 


THIRD  EDITION. 


PRINTED  FOR  THE 


American  sanitarian  Association. 


BOSTON, 

PRINTED  BY  ISAAC  R.  BUTTS  AND  CO. 

1826. 


Price  5  Cents. 


DISCOURSE. 


* 


Ecclesiastes  vii.  29. 

Lo  !  this  only  have  I  found. ,  that  God  hath  made  man  upright ; 
but  they  have  sought  out  many  inventions . 

It  is  obvious  that  the  term  “  man”  occurs  here  in  its 
generic  sense,  denoting  the  race  collectively.  The  word 
rendered  “  upright”  may  with  more  precision  be  trans¬ 
lated  “  right.”  It  implies  no  qualities  positively  virtuous, 
but  simply  the  absence  of  all  obliquity.  And  the  whole 
passage  conveys  this  important  sentiment,  God  hath  made 
man  right  ;  with  a  proper  nature,  possessing  such  powers 
as  are  requisite  in  the  place  he  fills,  and  for  all  the  de¬ 
signs  of  his  being.  When  we  begin  to  live  there  is 
nothing  in  our  moral  frame  which  is  itself  wrong,  or  must 
necessarily  produce  sin.  Whatever  be  the  amount  of 
wickedness  in  the  characters  of  men,  it  is  not  the 
proper  fruit  of  the  human  nature,  but  results  entirely 
from  a  voluntary  abuse  and  perversion  of  that  nature. 

This  doctrine  is  opposed  to  some  opinions  commonly 
inculcated  on  the  subject  of  man’s  condition,  but  not  op¬ 
posed  to  Scripture  ;  not  opposed  to  facts,  as  they  lie 
around  us  in  society  ;  not  opposed  to  conscience  and  to 
reason.  From  each  of  these  sources  are  drawn  the  ar- 


4 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY* 


44 


guments  we  employ  for  its  support.  The  discussion  I 
propose  on  this  occasion  will  hear  chiefly  on  the  point  of 
native  hereditary  depravity ,  which  gives  us  a  false  ac¬ 
count  of  the  cause  of  that  moral  evil  which  is  seen  and 
felt  in  the  world.  But  before  I  enter  on  this  main  de¬ 
sign,  let  me  suggest  a  few  remarks  on  another  branch  of 
the  general  subject  ;  I  mean,  total  depravity ,  which  gives 
us  as  false  a  view  of  the  degree  of  sin  found  among  men, 
as  the  other  does  of  its  origin.  The  two  dogmas  are 
inseparable  in  the  popular  notions  of  human  character, 
and  both  have  a  bad  tendency  so  far  as  they  operate 
without  modification  from  other  principles. 

If  the  word  “total**  have  any  meaning  in  the  phrase 
“  total  depravity,”  it  excludes  every  good  feeling,  desire, 
purpose,  and  action,  and  makes  the  character  of  mankind 
consist  solely  of  bad  dispositions,  passions,  and  deeds. 
To  be  totally  depraved  is  to  he  evil  in  every  part,  and  evil 
always.  Where  now  is  the  being  on  the  face  of  the  earth, 
who  has  done  nothing  but  sin  ;  whose  every  act  has  been 
wicked,  and  all  his  thoughts,  emotions,  and  desires,  cor¬ 
rupt  ?  Where  is  the  man,  concerning  whom,  it  is  true 
that  since  he  was  born  he  has  had  in  his  mind  nothing- 
pure,  and  in  his  conduct  nothing  right  ?  You  cannot  find 
such  a  being ;  this  may  he  the  description  of  a  devil,  but 
not  of  a  man.  We  may  imagine  such  a  sinner,  but  we 
never  saw  one.  We  are  greatly  deceived  by  the  popular 
theological  division  of  our  race  into  two  classes,  between 
which  is  drawn  a  line  straight  and  inflexible,  as  between 
two  distinct  orders  of  beings  having  no  alliance,  and  un¬ 
able  to  pass  from  one  to  the  other.  That  division  is  a 
mere  fiction.  That  line  is  nowhere  apparent  among  the 


45 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


5 


real  characters  which  we  meet  and  mingle  with  on  the 
stage  of  life.  The  world  contains  no  such  beings  as  the 
saints  and  sinners  described  in  many  sermons  and  painted 
in  many  tracts  and  magazines.  They  are  as  unlike  the 
actual  men  and  women  around  us,  as  if  the  one  were 
described  as  having  no  senses,  and  the  other  as  having 
no  souls. 

But  of  what  use  is  any  description  of  mankind  which 
wants  a  counterpart  in  nature  and  life  ?  It  cannot  be 
true — for  a  glance  at  the  world  as  it  is,  belies  it.  Look 
abroad  for  yourselves,  brethren,  and  tell  me  if  you 
can  discover  among  the  good,  one  who  has  ceased  to  be 
frail,  and  incapable  of  becoming  evil.  Take  the  accounts 
which  men  give  you  of  themselves — take  their  own  judg¬ 
ments  of  their  own  characters — will  you  conclude  that 
any  are  totally  holy  ?  But  is  it  fair  to  pronounce  all  who 
may  be  sinners,  totally  depraved ,  when  you  dare  not  pro¬ 
nounce  all  who  are  saints,  totally  pure  ?  There  is  as 
much  evidence  of  a  partial  depravity  in  the  one  case,  as 
of  a  partial  holiness  in  the  other.  There  are  as  many 
proofs  of  a  little  remaining  good  in  those  who  pass  for 
wicked  men,  as  of  some  remaining  corruption  in  those 
reputed  pious  men.  It  is  as  correct  to  esteem  the  latter 
entirely  holy,  as  to  esteem  the  former  entirely  depraved. 
The  fact  is,  there  are  no  unmixed  characters  among  men. 
The  best  are  not  perfect  in  virtue,  the  worst  may  still  be 
capable  of  a  recovery  from  vice.  There  are  degrees  of 
goodness,  and  degrees  of  sin  ;  the  former  ascending  from 
a  very  low,  to  almost  angelic  virtue,  the  latter  descending 
from  simple  failing  to  the  deepest  guilt.  Howrever,  to  my 
narrow  view  it  may  seem  that  no  vestige  of  what  is  good 

1* 


VOL  I. 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITV. 


46 


6 

remains  in  some  of  my  fellow-beings,  or  even  that  their 
capacity  of  goodness  is  extinct,  yet  there  is  an  eye  which 
discerns  more  clearly,  and  may  discover  symptoms  of 
reviving  health,  where  all  to  me  wears  the  aspect  of 
death.  I  dare  not,  I  never  will  say,  that  there  slumbers 
not  beneath  the  ruins,  on  which  I  gaze  with  despair,  a 
spark  of  virtue,  which  shall  be  kindled  yet  into  a  celestial 
tlame.  I  leave  an  abandoned  sinner,  hopeless  of  restor¬ 
ing  him  myself,  but  remembering  that  what  is  impossible 
with  man  is  possible  with  God.  And  as  to  the  doctrine 
that  we  are  all  totally  depraved,  I  must  consider  it  as  I 
should  a  proposition  which  declared  that  all  men  w  ere 
fools,  or  all  men  were  giants,  all  men  were  monsters. 
We  are  not  totally  any  thing  whatever,  for  be  the  quali¬ 
ty  what  it  may,  there  are  ten  thousand  chances  that  we 
have  a  little  of  its  opposite  too.  Some  are  wise  ;  but 
not  always,  nor  in  all  things.  Some  are  timorous  gene¬ 
rally  ;  yet  on  an  occasion  can  be  bold  as  lions.  Some 
are  indolent  generally  ;  yet,  for  some  desired  end,  will 
rouse  themselves  to  the  most  vigorous  activity.  Where 
nothing  is  fixed  and  permanent,  but  all  in  progress, 
pressing  onward,  it  is  rash  to  attempt  nice  definitions  and 
descriptions,  for  the  object  may  change  under  your  hand. 
So  it  is,  to  affix  such  characteristics  as  denote  com¬ 
pleteness  in  good  or  evil,  to  mutable  men.  The  only 
just  and  true  account  of  human  character  is  that  wffiich 
represents  it  as  mixed  and  imperfect  in  all  its  forms. 

The  Scriptures  are  often  quoted  to  prove  the  total  de¬ 
pravity  of  mankind.  But  there  are  twro  very  obvious 
principles  of  interpretation,  which  ought  to  be  applied  to 
the  passages  thus  employed,  and  vffiich  remove  at  once 


47 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY". 


7 


all  pretence  for  using  them  in  evidence  of  such  a  doc¬ 
trine. 

1.  What  is  declared  in  universal  terms  is  not  always 
to  be  received  without  limitation.  We  often  affirm  ab¬ 
solutely,  and  in  the  most  unqualified  language,  what  we 
know  to  be  true,  only  for  the  most  part  and  with  some 
exceptions.  All  books  contain  more  or  less  examples 
of  such  propositions  as  the  author  designs  his  readers 
should  understand,  not  to  the  full  extent  of  their  literal 
import,  but  as  general  truths.  When  God  was  about  to 
destroy  a  guilty  generation  by  the  deluge,  it  is  recorded, 
“  And  God  looked  upon  the  earth,  and  behold  it  was  cor¬ 
rupt,  for  all  flesh  had  corrupted  its  way.”  “  All  flesh”  is 
a  universal  term,  including  every  man  alive.  But  there 
was,  at  least,  one  exception  ;  for  “  Noah  found  grace  in 
the  eyes  of  the  Lord.”  Paul,  in  his  address  to  the  Lys- 
trians,  says,  that  “  God  had,  in  times  past,  suffered  all 
nations  to  walk  in  their  own  ways.”  But  he  had  not  so 
suffered  the  Jews,  who  had  enjoyed  a  revelation  and 
been  subjected  to  peculiar  restraints.  John  tells  the 
early  converts,  “  Ye  know  all  things.”  We  are  compel¬ 
led  by  the  very  nature  of  the  case  to  put  a  limitation  on 
the  word  “  all,”  which  reduces  the  meaning  of  the  pas¬ 
sage  to  the  bare  affirmation,  that  they  knew  whatever 
they  needed  as  Christians  to  know.  The  proposition,  as 
it  stands,  ascribes  omniscience  to  them. 

In  like  manner,  although  some  passages  of  Scripture, 
which  speak  of  the  degeneracy  of  mankind  at  certain 
periods,  are  so  expressed,  that  we  might  suppose  not  an 
individual  remained,  who  had  the  least  goodness  in  him. 
we  learn  from  sacred  history,  that  there  was  always  a 


8 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


48 


remnant  ot  righteous  men  in  periods  the  most  degenerate. 
The  first  chapter  of  Romans  describes  the  character  of 
the  nations  in  the  darkest  colours,  and  of  Gentiles  and 
Jews  affirms,  “they  are  all  under  sin.”  But  corrupt  as 
were  the  great  body  of  the  Jews  when  Messiah  came, 
we  are  made  acquainted  in  the  Gospels  and  Acts  with 
many  excellent  characters.  Of  Simeon  we  read,  “  He 
was  a  just  and  devout  man.”  Nathaniel  was  “  an  Israel¬ 
ite  indeed,  without  guile.”  Anna  “  served  God  with  alms 
and  prayers.”  The  Baptist’s  parents  “  wrere  righteous 
before  God,  and  wTalked  in  his  ordinances  blameless.” 
Among  the  Gentiles,  the  Roman  Centurion  and  Corne¬ 
lius,  with  “  devout  Greeks  not  a  few,  are  worthy  exam¬ 
ples  and  vindicate  us  in  the  assertion,  that  there  was, 
doubtless,  a  large  portion  of  society,  who  had  not  shared 
that  depravity  wffiich  Paul  so  vividly  describes.  Indeed, 
if  you  will  go  over  the  catalogue  of  crimes  of  which  he 
accused  the  heathen,  you  will  see  that  it  is  utterly  im¬ 
possible  for  such  wickedness  to  have  been  universal. 
He  himself  allows  us  to  make  an  extensive  exception, 
for  he  speaks  of  Gentiles  “  wffio  did  by  nature  the  things 
contained  in  the  law.”  From  Psalm  liii.  Paul  quotes  a  pas* 
sage,  and  accommodates  it  to  his  own  description.  That 
passage  applies  to  men  at  a  particular  period,  and  not  to 
the  race.  It  is  misunderstood  for  want  of  a  little  fair¬ 
ness  and  attention  ;  “  Every  one  of  them  is  gone  back — 
they  have  altogether  become  filthy — there  is  none  that 
doeth  good,  no,  not  one.”  The  persons  here  intended 
wrere  then  living  or  had  lived  previously.  There  is  no¬ 
thing  which  justifies  us  in  including  all  the  human  beings 
who  shall  ever  live.  Besides,  not  even  all  that  genera- 


49 


OX  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


9 


tion  is  comprehended  ;  for  it  is  added  immediately  after 
these  words  ;  “  have  all  the  workers  of  iniquity  no  know¬ 
ledge,  who  eat  up  my  people  ?”  It  seems,  then,  there 
were  some  who  were  good  enough  to  he  called  God’s 
people,  in  opposition  to  the  workers  of  iniquity,  notwith¬ 
standing  it  was  affirmed  that  not  one  of  the  children  of 
men  did  good,  no,  not  one.  If  we  persist  in  giving  an 
absolute  acceptance  to  all  general  propositions,  we  shall 
get  into  difficulties  from  which  nothing  can  relieve  us. 
There  is  obviously  no  justice  in  our  interpreting  passages 
which  speak  in  the  strong  language  of  eastern  hyperbole 
of  the  corruption  of  men,  as  if  they  were  strict  philoso¬ 
phical  statements.  We  must  take  these  passages  as  they 
were  meant  to  be  taken,  as  vivid  representations  of  a 
fact,  not  exact  definitions  of  a  doctrine. 

2.  The  second  rule  to  be  applied  to  those  parts  of 
Scripture,  which  relate  to  the  moral  condition  of  particu¬ 
lar  persons,  communities,  or  generations,  is  this  ;  All 
which  wras  true  of  them,  may  not  be  true  of  us  ; — we 
have  been  educated  with  all  the  benefits  of  Christian 
light,  and  under  the  influence  of  Christian  institutions. 
It  would  be  false,  and  no  credit  to  the  Gospel,  to  say 
that  a  very  great  difference  is  not  perceptible  between 
Christian  countries  and  others, — a  difference,  which  af¬ 
fects  the  whole  population  of  such  countries,  and  not 
merely  the  body  of  professed  believers.  Now  to  take 
phrases,  employed  to  represent  the  moral  character  of 
ancient  heathens,  and  apply  them  with  no  modification 
to  all  people  of  all  ages  and  climes,  Christian  as  well  as 
Pagan,  is  unjust  to  the  last  degree,  if  not  palpably  ab- 
syrd.  Just  so  far  as  we  resemble  the  characters  de- 


10 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


50 


picted  in  Scripture,  the  language  used  respecting  them 
will  convey  a  fair  account  of  us,  and  no  further. 

It  is  truly  astonishing  that  people  do  not  see  this,  and 
that  so  many  feel  obliged  to  take  to  themselves  a  de¬ 
scription  of  guilt  of  which  they  are  not  conscious,  be¬ 
cause  the  description  is  in  the  Bible.  What  a  stumbling 
block  does  it  throw7  in  the  way  of  simple  minds,  thus  to 
bind  them  down  to  acknowledge,  as  their  own,  a  charac¬ 
ter,  the  original  of  which  lived  some  thousand  years 
ago  !  No  less  than  this  is  done  by  those  who  make  the 
account  in  the  first  chapters  of  Romans,  a  description  of 
the  human  race,  or  who,  from  such  passages,  infer  the 
doctrine  that  all  men  are  entirely  depraved.  Those  por¬ 
tions  of  Scripture,  wThich,  like  this,  describe  in  glowing 
language  the  prevalent  corruptions  of  present  or  past 
times,  are  not  to  be  made  the  basis  of  any  doctrine  re¬ 
specting  human  nature  itself,  or  the  human  character 
universally,  and  in  all  periods  ;  we  must  interpret  them 
accordingly  ;  the  nature  of  the  case  requires  and  justifies 
it.  When  we  have  collected  into  one  horrid  group,  all 
the  sick,  maimed,  blind,  deaf,  decrepid,  wrho  crowd  the 
hospitals  or  streets  of  a  great  city,  we  have,  surely,  not 
gained  materials  for  a  description  of  its  inhabitants.  A 
traveller,  passing  through  a  fine  fertile  country,  would  be 
deemed  mad,  if  he  filled  his  journal  with  accounts  of  the 
barren  spots  which  wrere  scattered  here  and  there  in  his 
way,  or  gave  us  a  grave  narrative  of  the  beggars,  thieves, 
and  knaves,  whom  it  was  his  fortune  to  encounter,  as  an 
index  to  the  morals  of  the  people.  A  historian  who 
should  collect  a  long  catalogue  of  bad  princes  ;  with  de¬ 
scriptions  of  public  calamities,  and  political  mistakes,  not 


ol 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


11 


noticing  at  all  the  blessings  which  followed  from  the  go¬ 
vernment  of  good  princes,  or  the  numerous  prosperous 
events  of  their  several  reigns,  would  hardly  be  respected 
as  authority.  But  the  history  of  mankind,  their  moral 
history,  demands  no  less  fidelity  than  this  ;  and  we  ought 
not  to  take  it  from  those  who  have  studied  men  only  in 
their  vices. 

But  regard  the  general  character  of  the  race  as 
bad  as  you  may,  it  is  not  a  beneficial  habit  to  dwell 
chiefly  on  what  is  evil  in  it.  The  individual  who  does 
so,  injures  himself,  and  society  shares  the  injury. 
Whence  has  proceeded  that  chilling  scepticism  which 
confounds  all  moral  distinctions,  laughs  at  virtue  and  vice 
as  mere  names,  and  at  the  goodness  apparent  in  society, 
as  the  silly  efforts  of  fools  to  cheat  each  other  ?  In 
many  cases,  I  believe,  from  this  very  practice  of  which 
I  now  complain.  Begin  by  allowing  yourself  to  put  the 
worst  colouring  on  human  actions,  habitually  to  see 
things  in  their  evil  aspects,  and  to  ascribe  what  seems 
good  to  doubtful  motives,  you  may  soon  come  to  make 
no  important  difference  in  your  opinion,  between  the  best 
men  and  the  worst  ;  and  you  may  end,  at  last,  by  dis¬ 
owning  all  moral  distinctions,  that  you  may  sneer  alike  at 
all  mankind. — It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  the  most  no¬ 
torious  sceptics,  the  bitterest  enemies  to  Christianity, 
are  the  very  men  who  have  laboured  most  zealously  in 
the  base  work  of  degrading  the  species.  In  their  writ¬ 
ings,  every  good  affection  is  derided  ;  every  pretence  to 
virtue  mocked  ;  and  the  noblest  actions  and  sentiments, 
resolved  into  some  vile  principle.  No  such  lessons  on 
depravity  as  they  teach  ;  none  so  thorough,  and  none  so 


i  2 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITV. 


52 


appalling  ;  but  they  are  consistent.  Having  reduced 
man  to  a  level  with  the  brutes,  they  give  him  brutal 
pleasures  as  his  proper  good,  and  a  brute’s  death  as 
his  proper  end. 

Besides  the  danger  of  causing  scepticism,  there  are 
others  in  the  habit  of  magnifying  what  is  bad  in  human 
character,  which  ought  to  put  us  equally  on  our  guard. 
These  may  he  made  apparent  to  any  one  who  has  ob¬ 
served  the  tendency  of  excessive  feelings,  to  disease  the 
mind  in  all  its  powers.  It  cannot  be  denied  that  very 
serious  mischief  is  occasioned  by  allowing  the  sense  of 
shame  and  remorse  to  be  too  strongly  and  too  long  ope¬ 
rative  in  cases  where  there  is  a  natural  proneness  to 
despondence.  But  there  are  no  instances  where  a  habit 
of  self-disparagement  will  not,  at  length,  produce  evils 
nearly,  or  quite,  as  great.  And  these  are  sometimes 
fatal  to  the  character,  where  they  are  not  to  the  present 
enjoyment  of  the  individual.  Let  the  constant  feeling  in 
a  man’s  mind,  respecting  himself,  be  such  as  degrades 
him  in  his  own  eyes,  and  you  will  discover  in  him  that 
moral  apathy  which  refuses  all  exertion,  under  the  plea 
that  it  is  useless  ;  and  which  has  ceased,  at  once,  to 
hope  and  to  desire  improvement,  from  an  idea  that  it  is 
not  possible.  To  strive  after  moral  excellence,  one 
must  retain  the  consciousness  that  he  is  capable  of  it ; 
when  that  is  gone,  all  is  lost.  Now  the  morbid  habit  of 
exaggerating  one’s  own  sins,  takes  away  this  feeling  ; 
and  a  similar  effect,  in  a  wider  extent,  may  be  produced 
by  unduly  magnifying  what  is  faulty  in  the  character  of 
mankind  generally.  Confine  a  young  man  of  warm 
heart,  with  all  that  confidence  in  the  professions  of  oth- 


oJ 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


1.3 


ers,  usual  at  his  age,  to  the  society  of  persons,  profess¬ 
edly  religious,  but  from  whom  he  shall  daily  hear  the 
language  of  self-abuse,  mingled  with  unsparing  censures 
of  their  neighbours, — who  shall  question  sarcastically  the 
soundness  of  every  apparent  virtue,  and  colour  every 
fault  in  the  deepest  dye, — who,  in  line,  shall  habitually 
inveigh  against  human  depravity,  and  set  mankind  be¬ 
fore  him  in  their  worst  possible  lights, — and  what  may  you 
expect  ?  If  he  rely  on  their  statements,  or  from  igno¬ 
rance  be  unable  to  refute  them,  how  must  they  affect 
his  mind  ?  Will  they  not  inspire  him  with  unwonted 
jealousy,  not  only  of  his  own  emotions,  but  of  the  mo¬ 
tives  of  others  ?  Will  they  not  supplant  his  generous 
confidence  by  base  suspicion  ;  his  disposition  to  admire, 
esteem,  and  love,  by  the  malignant  feelings  of  abhorrence 
and  resentment  ;  his  desire  of  excellence,  by  doubts  of 
the  reality  of  all  virtue  ? 

However  it  may  seem  to  us  now,  we  may  be  assured 
that  the  habit  of  looking  only  at  the  bad  qualities  of  men, 
has  a  tendency  like  a  constant  association  Yvith  wicked 
people.  As  he  who  should  dwell  in  the  midst  of  assas¬ 
sins.  knaves,  and  sharpers,  would  insensibly  acquire  a 
temper,  quite  averse  to  the  friendly  sympathies,  so  will 
the  man  whose  mind  seeks  the  dark  images  of  guilt  for 
its  common  company.  He  will  have  their  hues  reflected 
on  himself.  His  respect  for  others  will  necessarily  be 
impaired  by  contemplating  them  most  often  in  the  light 
of  depraved  beings,  adversaries  to  God  and  goodness. 
His  self-respect  can  hardly  be  retained  with  the  belief 
that  he  is  no  better  than  they.  And  it  would  not  be 
surprising  if  his  permanent  disposition  should  settle  into 

2 


VOL.  I. 


14 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


54 


something  resembling  the  moral  apathy,  which  we  have 
before  traced  from  a  kindred  cause. 

I  have  said  that  society  shares  the  evils  of  too  exclusive 
a  regard  to  what  is  bad  in  human  character  ;  and  it  is  easi¬ 
ly  shewn.  If  the  doctrine  of  depravity  produced  its  full, 
natural  effects,  we  should  be,  indeed,  “  hateful,  and  hating 
one  another  social  intercouse  would  be  more  like  the 
herding  of  animals  of  pr«sy,  than  the  associating  of  Chris¬ 
tians.  And  even  its  most  modified  influence  has  some 
such  consequences  as  this  supposes.  Two  men,  who  look 
upon  each  other  as  totally  corrupt,  cannot  feel  mutual 
confidence  or  affection  ;  and  the  pious  people,  who,  with 
still  stronger  emotions,  must  approach  those,  whom  they 
believe  the  enemies  of  all  they  ought  to  love  most,  will 
not  cherish  a  sentiment  kinder  than  pity,  even  if  they  do 
not  allow  themselves  in  abhorrence  towards  them.  If  a 
temporary  check  of  benevolent  affections  will  weaken 
them  ;  how  can  brotherly  love  exist,  with  much  strength, 
in  the  heart  which  is  daily  filled  with  new  bitterness,  by 
the  faith,  that  nearly  all,  who  might  be  the  objects  of 
its  sympathy,  are  thoroughly  wicked,  and  so,  unworthy 
of  affection  ? 

An  attentive  observer,  will,  perhaps,  see  cause  to  trace 
that  spirit  of  exclusion,  which  erects  its  high  walls  in  the 
vineyard  of  Christ,  and.  repels,  with  such  cruelty,  the 
hand  offered  from  without,  and  answers  the  voice  of  cha¬ 
rity  with  the  rebuke  of  bigotry,  to  this  origin.  To  shut 
out  from  your  fellowship  those,  who  are  believed  to  be 
excluded  from  God’s  mercy,  is  not  strange  ;  to  hate  a 
being  who  is  utterly  odious,  is  no  more  so.  And  thus, 
in  learning;  the  lesson  of  total  depravity,  we  learn  how  to 
indulge  our  bad  feelings  with  a  good  excuse. 


55 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


15 


Better  then, — yes,  infinitely  better,  is  it  for  us  all,  to 
turn  away  our  eyes  from  the  spectacle  of  guilt,  and  gaze 
intently  on  the  lovelier  picture  of  virtue  ;  better  forget 
as  much,  and  as  fast  as  we  can,  the  vices  of  others,  how¬ 
ever  we  may  preserve  the  memory  of  our  own  ;  better 
hold  up  for  our  imitation  the  illustrious  good,  than  study, 
amid  the  shades,  the  totally  depraved.  In  other  wTords, 
if  we  must  confine  ourselves  to  either  extreme,  in  our 
contemplation  of  human  character,  let  us  choose  the  best 
and  not  the  worst .  By  too  fair  an  estimate  of  men,  wo 
may  lose  something,  perhaps,  but  it  will  not  be  our  gen¬ 
erous  affections,  our  love  of  excellence,  our  admiration 
for  virtue,  and  the  purpose  to  emulate  what  we  admire. 
By  dwelling  on  man’s  corruptions  only,  whatever  we  may 
gain,  it  will  not  be  a  kinder,  nor  a  purer  heart.  Who 
would  prefer  to  have  the  image  of  a  Judas  continually 
present  to  his  thoughts,  rather  than  commune  at  the 
lonely  hour,  with  the  benignant  Jesus  ? 

I  return  now,  to  that  part  of  the  common  doctrine  of 
Depravity,  which  concerns  its  origin.  In  this  it  is  main¬ 
tained  that  men  are  born  sinners.  The  vices  apparent 
in  mature  life,  are  traced  back  to  a  corrupt  nature,  and 
represented  as  its  proper  and  necessary  fruits.  Now, 
to  such  an  opinion,  we  cannot  assent,  for  many  strong 
reasons. 

I.  In  the  first  place,  it  implies  an  impossibility .  Sin 
has  been  defined  “  the  transgression  of  the  law.”  That 
law  cannot  have  been  transgressed  which  is  not  known, 
together  with  the  obligations  of  obedience,  and  conse¬ 
quences  of  disobedience.  But  we  come  into  life,  in  total, 
blank  ignorance,  not  possessing  the  knowledge  of  a  sin- 


16 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


56 


gle  substance  in  nature,  much  less  of  the  principles  of 
moral  duty.  How  can  we  be  sinners  by  birth,  when  we 
are  not  then  conscious  even  of  the  power  to  sin  ?  Who 
can  look  upon  a  sleeping  infant  and  say,  there  slumbers 
an  enemy  of  God  ;  when,  upon  that  helpless  creature’s 
mind,  not  even  the  image  of  the  mother  that  fosters  it. 
has,  as  yet,  been  impressed,  and  it  has  felt  no  love ,  far 
less  hatred  ?  We  shrink  instinctively  from  charging  guilt 
on  a  being  so  evidently  innocent  ;  but  this  is  only  shrink¬ 
ing  from  truth,  if  men  are  born  sinners  ;  for  then,  every 
infant  of  a  day  old  is  as  truly  depraved,  as  the  criminal 
of  half  a  century.  Should  this  seem  inadmissible,  reject 
the  doctrine  that  implies  it. 

But  our  opponents  urge  against  all  this,  that  the 
corruption  of  human  nature,  if  not  discoverable  in 
an  infant,  will  certainly  be  developed  as  soon  as  he 
becomes  capable  of  moral  action  at  all — and  is  fairly 
inferred  from  the  earliest  intelligent  conduct.  On 
what  does  this  inference  rest  ?  From  what  may  we  so 
confidently  draw  a  conclusion  of  such  extent  and  im¬ 
portance  ?  Does  it  fairly  spring  from  the  indications  of 
character  after  the  age  of  infancy  ?  I  ask,  then,  whether 
we  ought  to  draw  our  conclusions  from  one  side  oi  the 
case,  without  looking  at  the  other  ;  and  if  it  be  not  un¬ 
just  to  infer  more  from  the  indications  of  what  is  bad  in 
childhood,  than  from  the  indications  of  what  is  good  ? 
Let  any  man  produce  an  instance  of  a  human  being,  at 
that  period,  who  has  manifested  no  other  disposition  or 
propensity  than  such  as  are  evil ;  it  is  impossible.  Our 
blessed  Saviour  said,  concerning  children,  “  ot  such  is 
the  kingdom  of  heaven  “  Except  ye  be  converted  and 
become  as  little  children,  ye  cannot  enter  the  kingdom  ” 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


17 


')  ( 


The  Apostle  says,  “in  malice  be  ye  children.  ‘  And 
what  eye,  but  one  jaundiced  with  the  darkest  prejudice, 
can  have  failed  to  discover,  in  the  conduct  of  youth, 
abundant  evidences  of  purity  of  heart  ?  If  bad  tempers 
sometimes  appear,  yet,  let  us  not  make  too  much  of 
them,  or  because  of  them,  underrate  the  more  numerous 
proofs  of  better  qualities.  I  do  not  hesitate  to  put  it 
to  any  man’s  conscience  to  declare,  whether  he  has  not 
seen  as  much  that  was  attractive  and  amiable,  as  of  the 
contrary  in  children ;  whether,  in  all  their  artless  conver¬ 
sation,  their  joyous  sports,  their  ardent  attachments, 
their  open,  unsuspicious  conduct  in  the  presence  of  their 
elders,  their  sense  of  shame,  when  reproved,  and  their 
readiness  to  forgive  the  faults  of  others,  he  can  discover 
nothing  but  the  malignity  of  a  heart  entirely  corrupt  ? 
I  maintain  there  is,  at  least,  equal  reason  to  infer  the  ab¬ 
solute  purity  and  innocence  of  human  nature,  from  the 
indications  of  disposition  in  childhood,  as  to  presume  the 
opposite.  And  since  it  will  not  be  denied  that  the  least 
sinful  portion  of  every  community  is  its  youth  ;  since  the 
nearer  you  approach  the  fountain,  the  purer  are  the 
streams  ;  I  know  not  but  we  are  warranted  in  believing 
that  the  fountain  itself  is  unpolluted. 

If  the  sinful  actions  of  men  at  any  period  of  life,  are 
proofs  of  a  nature  originally  corrupt,  what  are  we  to  af¬ 
firm  of  Adam’s  sin  ?  Our  opponents  are  wont  to  extol 
him  as  not  only  sinless,  but  positively  righteous  ;  he 
transgressed,  however.  And  his  offence  just  as  strongly 
proves  that  his  nature  was  originally  tainted,  as  our  of¬ 
fences  prove  the  depravity  of  our  nature.  And  if  they 
-are  compelled  to  own,  that  in  him  there  was  no  sin  when 


vol  i. 


18 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


58 


created,  why  do  they  not  believe  that  in  us  there  was  no 
sin  when  born  ?  God  is  our  creator  as  he  was  Adam’s, — 
Our  nature  is  the  same  as  our  progenitor’s, — we  sin, — he 
sinned  ;  we  have  a  corrupt  nature, — his  nature  was  un¬ 
corrupt.  How  does  this  hold  together  ?  If  our  having 
sinned,  proves  us  to  have  been  born  sinful,  his  having 
sinned,  proves  him  to  have  been  made  sinful.  The 
premises  are  equally  broad  in  both  cases  ;  and  the  same 
conclusion  must  be  drawn. 

If  we  recur  to  the  passage  in  Genesis,  which  is  often 
quoted  on  this  subject,  we  find  it  there  recorded,  that 
God  created  man  “in  his  own  image.”  Now,  whatever 
that  image  be,  I  affirm  it  was  not  impressed  on  Adam 
only,  but  is  also  ascribed  to  his  posterity.  The  Apostle 
James,  speaking  of  the  vices  of  the  tongue,  says, 
“  Therewith  bless  we  God,  and  therewith  curse  we  men 
which  are  made  after  the  similitude  of  God.”  If,  then* 
this  similitude  vTas,  in  the  case  of  Adam,  not  destroyed 
by  his  offence,  shall  we  infer  from  our  sins,  that  we  never 
possessed  it,  in  express  contradiction  of  scripture  ? 

Again,  it  may  be  inquired  with  propriety,  what  evi¬ 
dence  we  have,  respecting  those  deemed  by  our  oppo¬ 
nents  Regenerate,  that  their  nature  is  not  the  same  which 
they  had  before  they  “  vrere  born  again  ?”  this  ought  to 
be  proved,  before  we  infer  from  the  doctrine  of  Regen¬ 
eration  that  men  are  born  totally  depraved.  The  Scrip¬ 
tures  do  not  assert  or  imply,  in  all  they  contain  on  this 
subject,  that  “  a  new  nature”  is  received,  but  only  that  a 
new  character  is  acquired.  Putting  off  the  old  man  with 
his  deeds,  turning  from  the  error  of  the  wicked,  to  the 
obedience  of  the  just,  being  redeemed  from  a  vain  con- 


59 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


19 


versation,  neither  of  them  intends  parting  with  human 
nature  itself.  Nor  is  it  an  uncommon  thing  to  hear 
those  who  are  reputed  to  be  “  new  creatures”  complain¬ 
ing  of  their  remaining  corruption  ;  a  circumstance  which 
does  not  seem  to  indicate,  that  in  conversion  they  gained 
a  new  nature . 

If,  indeed,  we  inquire  what  it  is,  in  the  most  re¬ 
markable  instances  of  a  moral  renovation,  which  con¬ 
stitutes  the  difference  between  their  present  and  their 
former  state,  it  would  be  discovered  that  the  better  use 
and  direction  of  the  powers  and  affections  they  had  al¬ 
ways  possessed ,  was  the  principal  distinction.  The  same 
appetites,  desires,  passions,  which  once  disturbed  the 
mind,  would  still  do  so,  if  the  control  of  conscience  were 
to  be  removed,  and  the  habits  of  virtue  broken.  To 
pass  from  a  high  place  in  the  religious  esteem  of  his 
brethren,  to  a  very  low  one,  might  require  less  of  every 
supposed  convert,  than  he  or  they  imagine.  This  would 
be  seen  more  clearly,  if  it  were  not  that  a  man  who  “  falls 
away”  is  immediately  reported  a  hypocrite  ;  although  his 
sincerity  was  probably  less  deservedly  questioned  than 
his  share  in  our  common  nature  was  palpably  manifested. 

Regeneration  is  called  by  such  as  believe  the  doctrine 
of  native  depravity,  a  work  of  special  grace  ;  God  only 
can  accomplish  it ;  and  it  is  finished ,  at  once,  wherever  he 
undertakes.  But  the  fact  that,  after  all,  there  should  be 
so  much  left  of  what  regeneration  is  supposed  to  remove, 
native  depravity,  gives  the  affair  a  nearer  resemblance  to 
human,  than  divine,  transactions.  And  it  shews,  that 
nothing  can  be  justly  argued  respecting  the  character 
of  our  nature,  from  the  testimony  of  those  who  think 
their  own  has  been  changed. 


s© 


OX  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


60 


II.  It  has  been  pretended,  by  some  advocates  of  the 
doctrine  of  hereditary  depravity,  that  it  implies  no  more 
than  that  men  are  “  destitute  of  holiness  at  birth.”  If 
this  signify  that  we  have  no  positively  virtuous  qualities, 
then,  none  deny  it.  But  we  believe  there  are  no  sinful 
qualities  either  ;  and  by  the  same  kind  of  reasoning 
which  satisfies  them,  without  going  a  step  further,  we 
may  arrive  at  our  own  conclusion.  Is  it  said  for  instance, 
on  their  part,  sin  cannot  proceed  from  a  holy  nature  ? 
We  add,  with  as  much  propriety,  neithei  can  virtue  pro¬ 
ceed  from  an  unholy  nature.  The  fact  is  as  clear  that 
men  do  good,  as  that  they  do  evil ;  and  one  kind  of  moral 
action  proves  as  much  in  regard  to  the  quality  of  our 
nature,  as  the  other,  so  far  as  it  goes. 

But,  in  truth,  the  doctrine  I  now  oppose,  does  com¬ 
prehend  more  than  a  simple  destitution  of  holiness  ;  and 
we  are  taught  in  it,  that  men  are  naturally  indisposed  to 
all  good,  and  inclined  to  all  evil,  having  no  power  to 
obey  the  will  of  God.  To  this  doctrine  we  object,  sec¬ 
ondly,  because  it  is  contrary  to  the  Analogy  of  the  rest  of 
God's  works .  Every  other  creature  of  God,  so  far  as 
our  knowledge  extends,  is  formed  with  a  nature  exactly 
adapted  to  the  place  it  fills,  and  the  purposes  of  its  be¬ 
ing.  We  can  discover  no  exception  ;  where  we  are  ac¬ 
quainted  with  the  kind  of  life  and  action  any  particular 
class  of  animals  were  designed  for,  we  perceive  every 
part  of  their  frame  nicely  fitted  to  its  proper  use.  In 
our  own  bodies,  how  admirably  are  the  various  organs  pre¬ 
pared  for  the  purposes  intended  in  their  formation.  For 
what  end,  then,  did  God  make  man  ?  What  is  the  ulti¬ 
mate  design  of  our  being  ?  Is  not  virtue,  religion,  holi- 


G1  ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 

ness  allowed  to  be  the  principal  thing  ?  Was  it  not  wim 
a  view  to  these  objects  that  our  moral  nature  w^as  con¬ 
ferred  ?  Is  it  possible,  then,  that  God,  who  has  created 
all  other  animals  with  just  such  a  nature  as  they  require, 
apd  who  has  so  wonderfully  adjusted  our  own  corporeal 
frame,  that  not  a  muscle  or  fibre — not  the  minutest  part 
is  out  of  place,  or  incapable  of  its  proper  action,  has  vet 
sent  us  into  life,  with  our  souls  in  such  a  state,  that  we 
are  utterly  incapable  of  the  very  purpose  for  which  alone, 
we  have  souls  ?  How  are  we  to  explain  this  departure 
of  infinite  wisdom  from  its  ordinary  course  ?  Is  man  the 
only  being,  concerning  whom,  it  is  of  no  importance  that 
his  faculties  should  be  fitted  for  their  service  ?  Is  he, 
who  is  but  a  little  lower  than  the  angels,  made  with  less 
care  and  kindness,  than  the  sparrow  that  falleth  to  the 
ground  ? 

But,  rejoins  an  opponent,  the  first  human  being  acted 
for  his  posterity,  and  they  partake  his  guilt.  Thus  says 
the  Westminster  Catechism,  “the  Covenant  being  made 
with  Adam,  not  only  for  himself  but  his  posterity,  all 
mankind  sinned  in  him.  The  sinfulness  of  that  state,  into 
which  man  fell,  consists  in  the  guilt  of  Adam’s  sin,  the 
want  of  original  righteousness,  and  the  corruption  of  his 
whole  nature.  All  mankind  by  the  fall,  lost  communion 
with  God,  are  under  his  wrath  and  curse,  and  so  made 
liable  to  the  miseries  of  this  life,  to  death,  and  the  pains 
of  hell  forever.”  Where  in  the  Bible,  I  ask,  do  you  find 
such  language  as  this  ?  Where  are  we  told  that  the 
covenant  with  Adam  was  made  for  his  posterity  likewise  ? 
The  Bible  says  only,  “  in  the  day  thou  eatest,  thou  shah 
die.”  There  is  not  even  an  allusion  to  his  posterity. 


22 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


62 


And  how  can  we  have  sinned  sixty  centuries  before  we 
began  to  live  ?  How  can  we  be  guilty  of  that,  which, 
but  for  history,  we  never  should  have  known  ?  Does  not 
guilt  imply  the  consciousness  of  having  sinned  ?  What 
penitent  was  ever  smitten  with  remorse  for  Adam's  sin  ? 
This  is  a  most  absurd  theory  indeed  ;  but  its  absurdity 
is  not  its  worst  feature. 

Suppose  a  human  tribunal  should  arraign  a  young  man 
as  a  capital  offender,  because  of  a  murder  committed  by 
one  of  his  remotest  ancestors,  and  condemn  him  to  die  ; 
would  society  suffer  such  a  judgment  ?  And  is  the  na¬ 
ture  of  the  transaction  altered  by  carrying  it  up  to  the 
Court  of  Heaven  ?  Is  it  any  the  less  unjust  for  uncount¬ 
ed  millions  to  be  laid  “  under  the  wrath  and  curse  of 
God"  forever,  in  consequence  of  a  single  offence  of  a 
man  who  lived  ages  before  they  were  born,  than  for  one 
to  be  put  to  death  for  his  immediate  progenitor’s  crime  ? 
Where  shall  we  find  a  name  for  that  Covenant,  which 
barters  the  salvation  of  a  world  of  beings  not  yet  exist¬ 
ing,  and  suspends  their  eternal  weal  or  wo  upon  the  first 
act  of  a  frail  creature,  who,  it  is  foreseen,  will  fall  ?  We 
know  no  Covenants,  made  by  one  man  for  another,  with¬ 
out  his  consent  ;  and  will  the  infinitely  good  God  own 
such  a  contract  as  his  ?  No.  If  there  is  any  thing  cer¬ 
tain  in  religion,  it  is  that  God  cannot  be  the  author  of 
that  which  would  be  criminal  in  his  creatures.  The 
Bible  is  silent  about  this  Covenant.  No  page  of  it  re¬ 
cords  the  fatal  instrument. 

III.  Another  argument  against  the  doctrine  of  native 
depravity,  is,  that  it  destroys  the  foundation  of  human 
Accountability . 


G3  ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY.  23 

When  we  see  a  man  who  has  been  blind  from  his 
birth,  do  we  regard  the  consequences  of  that  defect  as 
subject  of  blame  ?  Would  it  not  be  alike  foolish  and 
cruel  to  upbraid  him  for  his  ignorance  of  letters,  or  stum¬ 
bling  in  his  walk  ?  When  we  see  a  man  who  was  born  an 
idiot,  witness  his  wild  and  melancholy  movements,  or 
hear  that  shriek  which  fills  the  heart  .with  anguish,  do 
we  not  lament  this  absence  of  intellect  as  a  misfortune  ? 
Suppose  by  some  strange  occurrence  he  were  to  cause 
the  death  of  another,  would  he  be  guilty  of  murder  ? 
What  then,  if  instead  of  a  deficiency  of  reason,  he  were 
born  with  some  moral  defect,  which  hinders  his  doing 
right,  as  the  other  would  hinder  his  judging  right  ;  is  he 
any  more  to  blame  for  the  consequences  ?  I  think  not. 
An  idiot’s  wild  behaviour  is  ascribed  to  his  mental  un¬ 
soundness.  A  sinner’s  vices  proceed  from  his  moral  un¬ 
soundness.  But  be  it  mental  or  moral,  if  we  were  born 
thus  unsound,  no  power  save  the  Creator’s  could  have 
prevented  the  defect  ;  and  if  the  sinner  is,  notwithstand¬ 
ing,  blameworthy,  so  is  the  idiot.  A  child  of  parents 
whose  frame  is  diseased  may  inherit  that  disease,  yet 
who  dares  accuse  the  child  ?  And  by  what  right  are  we 
accused  if  we  inherit  diseased  souls,  while,  we  are  not  to 
blame  for  inheriting  diseased  bodies  ? 

The  whole  affair  of  deriving  moral  qualities  from  our 
parents  by  birth,  has  absurdity  on  its  front.  We  might 
as  well  talk  of  inheriting  learning  from  an  erudite  father 
as  sin  from  a  corrupt  father.  To  make  a  proper  moral 
agent  there  must  be  all  the  power  of  whatever  kind  that 
is  requisite  for  the  performance  of  duty.  If  we  have  a 
part  of  this  power,  hut  not  the  whole,  we  are  not  moral 


24 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


64 


agents.  For  the  insane  man  has  a  part,  and  yet  while 
insane  is  not  acxountable.  If  by  nature  we  have  a  ca¬ 
pacity  to  discriminate  between  good  and  evil,  to  under¬ 
stand  moral  rules,  and  feel  our  obligations,  and  yet  have 
no  power  to  fulfil  them,  we  then  have  only  a  part  of 
what  moral  agents  must  have  in  order  to  their  being 
accountable  for  their  actions  ;  and  so  by  nature  we  are 
not  responsible.  You  may  say  all  of  native  depravity 
which  you  can  say  of  insanity  here  ;  both  are  accidents, 
brought  on  men  by  the  providence  of  God,  without  their 
own  agency.  The  accident  of  being  born  is  surely  not 
less  beyond  our  control  than  a  blow  on  the  head,  or  a 
brain  fever.  And  if  to  the  former  we  owe  our  bad 
hearts,  are  we  not  as  excusable  as  if  we  could  trace  them 
to  the  latter  ?  Ascribe  sin  to  any  thing  out  of  ourselves, 
and  which  we  can  neither  escape  nor  remedy,  you  have 
then  destroyed  our  accountability.  Our  birth  is  just 
such  a  circumstance,  and  by  tracing  iniquity  to  nativity, 

you  make  us  no  more  to  blame  for  the  one  than  the 
+  • 

other, — no  more  answerable  for  sinning  than  for  having 
been  born. 

An  evasion  is  often  resorted  to,  which  attempts  to 
shun  this  dilemma  by  resolving  all  sin  into  a  fault  of  the 
will.  Men  have  power  to  do  right,  but  they  will  not. 
Was  this  bad  will  equally  bad  when  we  first  exercised 
the  power  of  volition?  Was  our  will  perverse  when  we 
came  into  life  ?  Did  the  cause  why  we  do  not  will  to 
obey  God,  exist  at  our  birth  and  in  our  souls,  as  they 
were  then  ?  If  so,  the  same  conclusion  follows.  W^e 
are  not  accountable.  *If  not,  native  depravity  vanishes. 
Define  that  depravity  as  you  please  ;  call  our  inability  to 


ON  HUMAN  DEFRAVITV. 


25 


65 

do  our  duty  by  any  name  you  choose  ;  I  only  ask  if  we 
were  born  with  it  ?  That  is  the  great  and  only  point  in 
question.  And  be  it  a  disjointed  limb,  or  idiocy,  or  a 
moral  taint  or  any  thing  else,  if  the  cause  of  sin  he  native, 
we  are  not  responsible,  since  we  could  not  help  it.  But 
all  human  experience  proves  that  we  are  accountable. 
All  men  feel  guilty  when  they  sin,  and  are  conscious  that 
they  have  done  not  only  what  they  ought  not,  but  what 
they  need  not  have  done.  Conscience  blames  us  for  our 
sins,  not  nature.  Every  reproof  it  utters  is  an  argument 
against  native  depravity.  We  never  learn  from  that  the 
apology  of  inability, — conscience  knows  no  inability  to 
do  what  God  commands  to  be  done.  It  upbraids  us  for 
every  fault  as  the  consequence  of  our  own  folly  ;  for  every 
crime  as  the  result  of  our  own  self-indulgence,  and  volun¬ 
tary  desertion  of  the  right  way.  The  doctrine  of  native 
sinfulness  cannot  be  reconciled  to  its  dictates  ;  the  one 
affirms  what  the  other  denies  ;  the  one  makes  us  feel 
worthy  of  punishment,  the  other  makes  all  punishment 
unjust,  because  it  must  be  inflicted  for  what  we  could 
not  help.  Conscience  traces  back  the  sins  of  men  to  a 
cause  wholly  in  themselves  ;  native  depravity  traces  them 
all  back  to  another  person  ;  derives  them  from  a  cause 
which  God  alone  could  have  hindered,  and  God  alone 
can  remove. 

IV.  We  object  once  more  to  this  doctrine — that  it 
Casts  reproach  on  the  divine  character  and  government. 

Our  first  instruction  in  religion  is  the  reply  to  that 
solemn  question  of  our  Catechism,  “  Who  made  you  ?” 
can  we  ever  forget ‘the  holy  awe,  the  melting  tenderness, 
which  possessed  our  minds,  when,  at  the  fond  parents 

VOL.  i.  3 


26  Oft  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY.  66 

knee  we  uttered  that  truth,  which  so  mysteriously  con¬ 
nected  us  with  the  mighty  power  of  Heaven,  and  the 
wide  universe  below  ?  Can  we  ever  forget  the  new  feel¬ 
ing  of  alliance  to  every  object  around  us,  which  sprung 
from  our  first  conceptions  of  the  meaning  of  the  words 
“  God  made  me  and  all  things  V'  Can  we  ever  forget 
the  sweet  emotions  of  confidence  and  love,  which  rushed 
into  the  heart,  when  the  revered  instructor  taught  us 
what  God  was,  by  giving  him  his  own  name,  and  direct¬ 
ing  to  our  Almighty  Creator,  the  soft  affections  which 
already  bound  us  to  himself?  And,  in  after  lifj,  at  those 
sad,  melancholy  moments,  when  the  consciousness  of 
our  unworthiness  has  weighed  down  our  spirits,  and  we 
have  contemplated  the  iniquity  of  our  fellow-creatures 
with  deepest  sorrow  ;  when  triumphant  vice  has  cast  its 
baleful  glare  upon  our  path,  and  fraud,  oppression,  cru¬ 
elty,  stung  the  soul  to  madness  ;  have  we  not  felt  it  a 
blessed  refuge  to  remember  God  ?  Yes,  we  have  turned 
gladly  away  from  the  heart-sickening  scenes  of  an  evil 
world  to  hold  peaceful  communion  wTith  the  Just  and 
Holy  One.  We  have  been  comforted  by  the  thought 
that  in  him  virtue  still  had  a  friend,  and  innocence  a 
protector  ;  but  alas  !  the  doctrine  of  depravity  takes 
away  this  last  refuge.  God  made  us,  indeed,  but  how  ? 
He  made  us  what  we  were  when  we  began  to  live — 
when  we  were  born  ;  and  if  we  were  born  depraved,  he 
made  us  so.  Thus,  then,  surrounded  with  a  throng  of 
miserable  creatures  “  under  the  wrath  and  curse  of  God,” 
utterly  sinful,  and  capable  of  nothing  better,  we  can  only 
look  upward  to  the  Being  who  made  them  what  they  are, 
^nd  see  in  Heaven  but  the  God  who  has  created  that  sin 


61 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


i>7 


which  defiles  the  earth.  The  pall  of  moral  death  hangs 
over  the  tainted  mass  of  human  society  ;  and  above,  are 
spread  out  the  black  clouds  of  vengeance  before  the 
throne  of  him,  who  waits  but  till  he  can  gather  a  few  out 
of  the  corrupt  multitude,  to  save  them,  and  then  will 
pour  out  upon  our  heads  his  burning  vials  ;  and  begin, 
in  our  helpless  souls,  a  series  of  torments,  which  shall 
never  be  mitigated  and  never  end. 

In  other  words,  the  doctrine  of  depravity  teaches  us, 
that,  having  given  us  a  nature  entirely  corrupt,  incapable 
of  good,  and  prone  to  all  evil,  God  placed  us  in  this 
world  with  a  command  to  do  what  he  knows  we  cannot 
do  ;  and  then  condemns  us  to  eternal  wo  for  doing  that 
which  he  knows  we  cannot  help  doing.  He  continually 
afflicts  us  for  sins,  which  can  only  be  prevented  by  an  in¬ 
fluence  of  his  Spirit  ;  while  that  he  purposely  withholds. 
Moreover,  taken  in  connexion  with  its  kindred  doc¬ 
trines,  this  teaches  us  that  it  was  the  divine  will  from  all 
eternity  that  human  beings  should  act  just  as  they  do, 
and  perish  everlastingly,  for  having  acted  thus.  That 
God  selected  out  of  the  human  race,  before  they  were 
created,  or  the  world  was ,  a  certain  definite  number,  con¬ 
cerning  whom,  he  determined  that  they  should  be  holy 
and  happy  ;  and  the  rest  he  made  to  he  sinners,  that  in 
punishing  them  he  might  glorify  his  vindictive  justice. 
Or,  to  come  nearer  still,  although  we  all  have  the  same 
corrupt  nature,  and  deserve  one  no  more  than  another 
trom  our  Creator,  he  is  pleased,  by  an  act  of  his  power, 
to  make  a  part  of  us  new  creatures  ;  giving  them  power 
and  disposition  to  do  his  will,  arid  rewarding  them  for  obe 


28  ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY.  88 

dience  ;  leaving  the  remainder  as  morally  helpless  as 
they  were  born,  and  then  punishing  them  for  disobe¬ 
dience. 

We  can  never  reconcile  such  views  of  the  divine  go¬ 
vernment  with  what  the  Bible,  reason,  and  nature,  all 
proclaim  respecting  it.  Is  God  impartial  to  give  his 
Spirit,  which  all  alike  need,  and  for  the  same  reason,  a 
reason  out  of  their  reach,  to  a  few  only  ?  Is  God  just 
to  punish  us  for  the  consequences  of  not  possessing  a 
new  heart,  when  he  alone  can  give  it  to  us  ?  Is  God 
merciful  to  make  us  wTith  a  nature  which  is  incapable  of 
goodness  ;  and  then  inflicting  endless  torments  on  us  for 
not  being  good  ?  Turn  this  doctrine  which  way  you 
will,  it  is  equally  unworthy  of  the  Creator  and  Father  of 
mankind.  And  the  only  possible  solution  to  the  over¬ 
whelming  mystery  of  such  a  method  of  treating  his  cre- 
tures,  is  divine  sovereignty.  God  does  so  because  he 
chooses  to  do  so  ;  and  none  can  say  to  him,  u  W  hy  dost 
thou  this  ?”  A  similar  apology  to  that  for  the  cruelties 
of  an  earthly  despot  ;  and  one  as  valid,  in  that  case,  as 
in  this  ;  it  is  no  apology  at  all.  Power  gives  no  right  ; 
will  alters  not  what,  in  itself,  is  bad.  The  very  thing  to 
be  explained  is,  how  God  can  thus  will,  what,  in  itself, 
is  so  unrighteous  and  cruel. — But  He  has  not  so  willed, 
and  blessed  be  his  Holy  Name  1  we  are  not  compelled 
to  receive  such  opinions  as  his  truth.  We  have  not  so 
learned  Christ. 

V.  The  doctrine  of  native  depravity  is  further  shewn 
to  be  false  by  its  inconsistency  with  the  design  of  our  pre¬ 
sent  life  as  probationary. 

We  are  placed  in  this  world  to  be  trained  by  a  course 


6# 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


29 


of  discipline  and  trial,  for  another  ;  preparation  is  our 
great  work  here  ;  this  all  admit  ;  this  the  Scriptures 
teach.  On  any  other  supposition,  human  life  cannot  be 
explained.  But  in  the  very  idea  of  probation,  it  is  im¬ 
plied,  that  the  subject  to  be  proved  has  not  yet  a  fixed 
character  when  the  trial  begins.  And  if  we  are  sent  into 
this  world  to  prepare  for  another,  it  is  to  be  presumed 
that  we  are  not  already  fitted  when  we  enter  it,  for  the 
doom  which  that  preparation  is  intended  to  decide.  Nor 
can  we  imagine  that  God  would  appoint  a  long  series  of 
moral  discipline,  and  provide  an  ample  store  of  moral 
means,  for  the  training  of  a  creature,  whom  he  knew  to 

be  incapable  of  deriving  the  least  benefit  from  them. 

% 

According  to  thi&-doctrine,  however,  we  come  into 
life  with  a  fixed  character ;  we  are  then  decidedly,  en¬ 
tirely,  and  for  aught  we  can  ever  do,  incurably  wicked. 
We  are  “  under  the  wrath  and  curse  of  God,  and  liable 
to  the  pains  of  hell  forever.”  If  so,  how  can  the  days  or 
years  which  may  follow,  be  termed  a  season  of  probation? 
We  deserve  hell  as  soon  a/s  we  are  born  ;  can  we  ever 
deserve  more  ?  Our  doom  is  decided  at  the  outset,  and 
cannot  be  the  consequence  of  a  trial  which  it  precedes .  In 
tact,  to  talk  of  trial  here,  is  idle  and  absurd.  Especially 
when  we  recollect  that  it  is  also  declared  by  the  advo¬ 
cates  of  this  doctrine,  that  nothing  less  than  a  special  ir¬ 
resistible  agency  of  God  can  ever  alter  the  character  we 
bring  with  us  into  the  world.  Such  an  agency,  says  Dr 
Chalmers,  as  would  be  requisite  to  turn  stones  into  bread . 
Such  an  agency,  says  another,  as  was  put  forth  in  cre¬ 
ating  the  world.  And  to  hasten,  retard,  or  even  procure 

this  divine  interposition,  is  alike  impossible,  let  us  do 

VOL  i .  3* 


30 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


70 


what  we  may.  It  lies  in  the  counsel  of  his  own  will,  and 
God  only  knows  how,  when,  or  on  whom  the  regenerate 
ing  grace  shall  descend.  If  any  one  share  the  blessing, 
his  change  of  character  will  be  as  much  the  sole  act  of 

God,  as  if  he  had  himself  been  without  sense  or  motion 

« 

up  to  the  very  moment  of  its  occurrence.  In  his  own 
time  God  will  operate  on  the  soul  for  its  recovery.  Till 
then,  existence  is  a  mere  blank.  We  can  lose  nothing, 
since  all  was  lost  at  the  beginning  ;  we  can  gain  nothing, 
because  all  we  do  prior  to  regeneration,  is  done  in  vain  ; 
we  are  not  made  worse  by  the  neglect  of  moral  means, 
for  it  is  impossible  to  be  more  than  totally  depraved  ;  we 
are  not  improved  by  the  use  of  them,  for  that  would  de¬ 
tract  from  the  sovereignty  of  divine  grace  to  which  as 
the  sole  unaided  cause,  all  change  for  the  better  is  attri¬ 
buted.  Now,  I  may  ask,  if  there  is  any  probation  wdiere 
a  man  is  neither  made  better  nor  worse,  gains  nothing, 
and  loses  nothing,  and  is  left  just  as  he  was  found  ?  It 
is  idle  to  pretend  so  ;  as  idle  as  to  call  that  a  race  for 
victory,  in  which  one  is  compelled  to  run  against  another, 
but  is  told,  at  the  outset,  that  it  is  determined  to  crown 
his  companion,  and  not  him,  be  the  result  what  it  may. 

There  are  many  important  facts,  which,  wrhile  they 
oo  to  establish  the  doctrine  that  the  present  life  is  pro¬ 
bationary,  are  not  to  be  reconciled  wTith  the  doctrine  that 
*  * 

men  are  born  totally  depraved.  For  instance,  how  vari¬ 
ous  are  the  actions  of  mankind.  But  for  this  variety  of 
action,  there  is  no  room,  on  the  supposition  that  we  are 
entirely  wicked  before  we  have  done  any  thing.  Were 
this  true,  we  should  persist  in  one  unvaried  series  of  sins, 
with  not  a  virtuous  thought  or  wish  intervening.  Ask 


71 


ON  HUMAN  DEt>RAVlTl\ 


31 


now  your  own  history  for  its  reports  ;  does  it  give  in  only 
a  tale  of  ceaseless  guilt  ?  Do  you  remember  no  time 
when  you  were  comparatively  innocent  ?  Do  you  find 
far  back  among  your  early  days,  no  sincere  prayers,  no 
pure  desires,  no  good  resolutions,  no  kindness  for  man, 
and  no  fear  of  God  ?  Be  it  that  you  feel  yourself  a  sin¬ 
ner,  yea,  one  of  the  deepest  die  ;  yet,  were  you  always 
as  bad  as  you  are  now  ?  Would  your  chance  for  salva¬ 
tion  have  been  no  better,  if  you  had  died  in  infancy,  than 
if  you  were  summoned  to  day  ?  Admit  this,  and  you 
give  up  native  depravity  ;  for  that  teaches  that  all  men 
are  liable  to  eternal  wo  as  soon  as  they  come  into  the 
world  ;  more  than  that  cannot  be  awarded  in  any  case. 
But  where  punishment  is  equal*  the  guilt  must  be  pre¬ 
sumed  so. 

The  phenomena  of  Habit,  likewise,  furnish  us  with 
an  argument.  By  slow  degrees,  and  the  most  gradual 
advances  only,  we  become  established  in  our  moral 
habits.  Here  a  virtue  may  be  forsaken,  and  there  a  vice 
approached  ;  but  such  instances  must  occur  often,  before 
the  indulgence  can  become  habitual  sin,  and  virtue  be 
wholly  renounced.  There  is  a  reluctance  to  be  over¬ 
come  at  each  stage  of  vice,  as  there  is  an  effort  to  be 
made  at  each  advance  in  improvement.  But  would  a 
being  whose  nature  is  totally  depraved,  require  much 
time  to  reconcile  him  to  evil  practice  ?  Could  he  shrink 
from  sin  in  any  shape  ?  Could  he  feel  the  least  reluc¬ 
tance  to  enter  the  only  appropriate,  and  therefore,  it 
would  seem,  the  only  easy  course  of  action  for  him  ? 

Look  now  at  Education,  Example,  and  all  other  great 
moral  instruments  :  their  effects  are  infinitely  diversified, 

'  m 


32 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


72 


and  incalculably  great.  But  we  shall  find  it  hard  to  ac¬ 
count  for  this,  on  the  supposition  that  all  men  begin  life 
with  a  settled  character,  and  a  bias  toward  evil  so  strong 
that  divine  power  alone  is  sufficient  to  overcome  it.  In¬ 
deed,  when  external  influence  produces  pernicious  conse¬ 
quences,  we  know  the  subject  affected,  was  not  as  bad 
before,  as  he  was  capable  of  becoming.  And  when  they 
cause  good  results,  we  know  the  subject  must  have  had 
a  capacity  for  virtue. 

VI.  Lastly,  the  Scriptures  afford  as  a  far  different 
view  of  human  nature  from  that  presented  by  the  doctrine 
we  have  attempted  to  refute .  They  every  where  take  it 
for  granted,  that  a  man  is  a  sinner  only  through  his  own 
act  and  choice.  “  The  soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die. 
The  son  shall  not  bear  the  iniquity  of  the  father.  The 
righteousness  of  the  righteous  shall  be  upon  him,  and 
the  wickedness  of  the  wicked  shall  be  upon  him.  Every 
tree  is  known  by  its  own  fruit.  He  that  committeth  sin, 
transgresseth  the  law.  Know  ve  not  that  to  whom  ve 
yield  yourselves  servants  to  obey,  his  servants  ye  are  to 
whom  ye  obey  ;  whether  of  sin  unto  death,  or  of  obedi¬ 
ence  unto  righteousness.  He  that  doeth  righteousness 
is  righteous.” 

The  sacred  volume  contains  many  severe  Rebukes 

s 

pointed  at  offenders.  But  rebuke  is  unjust  where  the 
offence  could  not  be  avoided,  and  is  the  consequence  of 
something  else,  and  not  our  own  choice. 

There  are  also  numerous  pathetic  Lamentations  and 
Remonstrances  addressed  in  the  name  of  God,  to  his  er¬ 
ring  creatures.  “Turn  ye  from  your  evil  ways,  and  keep 
my  commandments.  Turn  ye,  for  why  will  ye  die. 


73 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY, 


33 


What  could  I  have  done  more  for  my  vineyard  that  I 
have  not  done.  How  often  would  I  have  gathered  thv 
children  together,  as  a  bird  gathereth  her  brood  under 
her  wings,  and  ye  would  not.  O  that  thou  hadst  known ! 
My  people  will  not  consider/’  Now  such  language  as 
this,  is  mere  mockery  of  human  wo,  unless  it  was  by  their 
own  conduct,  the  guilt  lamented,  was  incurred,  and  un¬ 
less  they  had  power  to  do  otherwise.  Why  lament  an 
evil  which  he  himself  had  caused,  by  bringing  them  into 
the  world  with  a  depraved  nature,  and  which,  none  but 
he,  can  ever  cure  ?  It  is  impossible  to  reconcile  these 
expostulations  with  the  idea,  that,  at  any  moment,  the 
occasion  might  instantly  have  been  removed  by  the  di¬ 
vine  power,  and  that  without  a  special  interposition  on 
the  part  of  God,  there  was  no  possibility  of  its  removal. 
We  ought  to  consider  them  as  sincere  ;  and  if  we  do, 
we  must  conclude  that  the  people  concerned  in  them, 
had  been  the  authors  of  their  own  ruin,  and  always  pos¬ 
sessed  the  ability  to  prevent  it. 

The  Bible  abounds  with  Precepts.  For  whom  ?  A 
being,  who,  by  his  nature,  is  utterly  unable  to  observe 
them  ? 

The  views  of  future  Retribution ,  exhibited  in  the 
same  volume,  are  so  many  contradictions  to  native 
depravity.  We  are  taught  that  we  shall  be  judged  by 
our  deeds .  And  they  only,  who  have  done  evil,  shall 
arise  to  condemnation.  But  what  influence  have  our 
deeds  upon  that  sentence,  which  was  passed  ages  ago  on 
the  whole  race,  and  by  which  we  are  4 4  liable  to  the  pains 
of  hell  ?”  The  judgment  is  already  completed,  when  we 
begin  the  race  of  life,  and  cannot  be  reversed  by  all  we 


M 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


74 


may  perform.  Is  this  being  rewarded  according  to  our 

deeds  ? 

All  men  are  represented,  as  alike  interested  in  the 
blessings  of  Christianity,  and  its  invitations  are  according* 
ly  addressed  to  all  with  the  same  earnestness.  Jesus 
knew  what  was  in  man,  both  our  strength  and  our  weak¬ 
ness.  He  was  without  guile.  He  ever  spake  the  truth. 
If,  then,  these  calls  of  divine  goodness  were  not  designed 
for  every  one’s  acceptance,  or  if  none  had  power  to  com¬ 
ply  with  them,  would  he  not  have  said  so  ?  If  our  nat¬ 
ural  depravity  be  the  origin  and  cause  of  all  our  actual 
offences,  would  he  not  have  said  so  ?  He  might  have 
lamented  our  blindness,  but  he  could  not  have  asked, 
“  Why  even  of  yourselves  judge  ye  not  wrhat  is  right  ?” 
He  might  have  been  anxious  for  our  unbelief,  but  could 

not  have  inquired,  “  Why  do  ye  not  believe  ?”  He 
might  have  exhorted  us  to  wrait  patiently  for  the  coming 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  but  could  not  have  upbraided  us  for 
a  guilt  which  that  coming  only  could  terminate.  He 
might  have  expatiated  on  the  miseries  of  our  condition, 
but  could  not  have  held  up  the  promises  which  concern¬ 
ed  none  but  the  elect,  to  a  dying  wTorld  ;  thus  adding 
fresh  anguish  to  their  helpless  woes. 

But  wre  are  not  taught  in  the  Newr  Testament  that  our 
nature  is  depraved.  Our  Lord  once  exclaimed,  “  How 
can  ye  believe,  who  seek  honour  one  of  another,”  but 
never,  “  Howr  can  ye  believe,  who  wrere  altogether  born  in 
sins.”  He  uniformily  ascribes  the  ruin  of  the  wicked  to 
their  own  immediate  fault,  and  not  to  any  foreign  cause, 
least  of  all  to  one  prior  to  their  existence.  There  are 
no  words  in  the  Bible,  by  wrhich  a  bare  statement  of  the 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITV. 


36 


doctrine  we  oppose,  can  be  made  out,  with  even  a  shew 
of  fairness.  From  a  few  passages,  it  has  been  extorted, 
however  ;  and  the  candid  reader  of  Scripture,  may  justly 
express  surprise  at  the  manner  in  which  a  sentiment,  so 
inconsistent  with  its  whole  spirit  and  instructions,  has 
been  drawn  from  it.  As  I  have  before  observed,  most  of 
the  passages  relied  upon  in  the  argument,  contain  vivid 
and  striking  descriptions  of  the  vices  of  particular  men, 
communities,  or  generations.  Some  only  declare  the 
general  truth,  44  There  is  no  man  that  liveth  and  sinneth 
not.”  And  scarce  one  can  even  by  force,  be  made  to  al¬ 
lude  to  human  nature  itself,  abstractly  considered. 

Three  texts  are  cited  always  on  this  occasion  ;  and 
they  are  all  which  I  shall  now  notice.  Both  because 
the  mode  of  interpretation  which  applies  to  these,  may 
apply  to  every  other  which  is  referred  to,  and  because 
constant  use  of  these,  shews  the  dearth  of  good  proof 
sufficiently  to  indicate  the  weakness  of  the  cause  they 
are  supposed  to  establish. 

One  of  these  passages  lies  in  the  51st  Psalm.  David  is 
there  giving  utterance  to  some  very  strong  emotions  of 
his  heart,  excited  by  the  recollections  of  his  own  crimes. 
The  whole  piece  is  an  exercise  of  private,  personal  de¬ 
votion,  and  should  be  interpreted  as  such.  Shall  we 
take  up  his  words  and  analyse  them,  as  if  they  were  the 
language,  not  of  emotion,  but  cold  philosophy  ?  Shall 
we  read  his  Psalm  as  a  lecture,  instead  of  an  humble 
prayer  of  private  penitence  ?  If  any  one  supposes  David 
designed  to  be  understood  literally,  when  he  says,  44  I 
was  shapen  in  iniquity,”  then  let  him  be  consistent,  and 
equally  literal  in  such  sentences  as  the  following  ;  44  The 


36 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


76 


wicked  go  astray  as  soon  as  they  are  born,  speaking 
lies.’'  That  is,  infants  speak  as  soon  as  they  come  into 
the  world,  and  they  speak  lies  too.  “  Rivers  of  water 
run  down  mine  eyes.”  Here  you  may  imagine  his 
cheeks  two  channels  or  beds  of  rivers.  “  Purge  me  with 
hyssop.”  That  is,  take  the  herb  hyssop  and  cleanse  me. 
“  Break  the  teeth  of  the  young  lions.”  “  There  is  no 
soundness  in  my  flesh,  because  of  my  sins.”  It  is  easily 
seen  to  what  absurdities  wTe  are  led  by  this  mode  of  in- 
terpretaion  ;  yet  no  reason  exists  for  applying  it  to  the 
words  of  the  penitential  hymn,  which  does  not  equally 
require  its  use  in  those  just  recited.  The  truth  is,  all 
these  passages  are  properly  regarded  as  the  expressions, 
which  naturally  suggest  themselves  to  the  mind  of  an 
oriental  poet,  in  a  state  of  strong  emotion  ;  but  not  as 
literal  representations  of  fact  or  opinion. 

Ephesians  ii.  3,  is  another  text  much  relied  upon  in 
this  argument.  “  And  were,  by  nature,  children  of  wrrath. 
even  as  others.”  To  whom  is  this  said  ?  To  persons  re¬ 
cently  converted  from  idolatry ;  who  had,  in  times  past, 
“  walked  according  to  the  prince  of  the  power  of  the 
air,  wrho  were  Gentiles  in  the  flesh,  and  aliens  from  the 
commonwealth  of  Israel.”  This  heathenish  state  with 
its  attendant  vices,  Paul  contrasts  writh  the  condition  into 
which  Christianity  had  brought  them.  The  phrase,  “  by 
nature”  occurs  in  another  Epistle,  in  a  manner  which  il¬ 
lustrates  its  meaning  here.  “  We,  who  are  Jews  by  na¬ 
ture,  and  not  sinners  of  the  Gentiles.”  Now  it  is  certain 
Paul  does  not  intend  their  nature  as  human  beings,  for 
that  is  peculiar  to  no  nation,  and  makes  us  simply  men , 
not  Jews  nor  Gentiles.  The  latter  clause  proves  that 


77  ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY.  37 

we  are  to  understand  the  former  thus,  if  any  proof  were 
needed.  For  sin,  as  an  attribute  of  man,  is  surely  not 
limited  by  national  divisions,  and  the  phrase  44  sinners  of 
the  Gentiles”  would  have  no  sense,  if  we  did  not  know 
that,  by  this  title,  the  Jews  were  accustomed  to  distin- 
guish  idolaters  from  their  own  people.  To  be  a  Jew  by 
nature,  is  to  be  one  by  parentage,  education,  and  affinity. 
44  Children  of  wrath,  children  of  disobedience,”  are  terms 
significant  of  the  actual  character  of  those  to  whom 
they  apply,  a  character  acquired  by  themselves,  when 
they  44  gave  themselves  over  to  lasciviousness,  and  walk¬ 
ed  according  to  the  course  of  this  world.”  So  Peter 
styles  similar  characters,  44  cursed  children,”  indicating 
their  liability  to  punishment  for  their  vices.  And,  in  like 
manner,  virtuous  Christians  walk  as  44  children  of  the 
light.”  If  any  one  prefers  to  understand  the  Apostle  as 
affirming  that  the  Ephesians  were  proper  subjects  of  di¬ 
vine  wrath,  on  account  of  their  birth  simply,  without  any 
regard  to  their  own  subsequent  conduct,  he  may  enjoy 
his  opinion.  But  he  turns  aside  entirely  from  the  argu¬ 
ment  of  the  writer,  to  hang  a  fond  notion  of  his  own 
upon  the  naked  words. 

The  only  remaining  passage  I  shall  notice,  lies  in  the 
Epistle  to  the  Corinthians.  44  The  natural  man  receiveth 
not  the  things  of  the  spirit  of  God.”  A  wrong  transla¬ 
tion  alone,  occasions  the  least  mistake  here.  The  Greek 
word  does  not  signify  what  the  English  term  implies. 
Its  true  meaning  is  expressed  in  Jude  xix,  44  sensual.” 
So  also  in  James  iii.  15, 44  sensual”  is  the  rendering.  It  is 
found  in  three  places  in  this  Epistle  besides  the  passage 
just  quoted.  Paul,  speaking  of  the  human  frame,  says, 

vol  i.  4 


38 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


78 


it  is  “  sown  an  atural  body.”  He  means  “  a  fleshly  body.” 
This  expresses  bis  sentiment  more  clearly  ;  for  “  flesh 
and  blood  cannot  inherit  the  kingdom.”  The  Apostle, 
in  the  chapter  containing  the  words  under  discussion, 
declares,  respecting  the  future  happiness  of  the  good, 
that  “  eye  hath  not  seen  the  things  which  God  hath  pre¬ 
pared  for  them  that  love  him,  but  God  hath  revealed 
them  unto  us  by  his  spirit.”  In  reference  to  the  same 
things,  he  afterwards  says,  the  natural  or  sensual  man, 
he  who  is  immersed  in  sensual  indulgences,  receiveth  not 
the  things  of  the  Spirit  of  God  ;  that  is,  the  things 
which  he  hath  revealed  unto  us  by  his  Spirit.  “  They 
are  foolishness  unto  him.”  Why  ?  Because  spiritual 
joys,  the  bliss  of  virtue,  has  no  charms  for  the  sensual¬ 
ist.  “  Neither  can  he  know  them.”  Why  ?  “  Because 
they  are  spiritually  discerned."  They  are  of  a  purely  in¬ 
tellectual  and  spiritual  nature  ;  they  are  not  to  be  un¬ 
derstood,  or  valued  by  one  w7hose  gross  mind  is  bound 
to  the  earth,  and  who  has  never  experienced  a  felicity 
which  has  no  relation  to  the  grat ideations  of  sense.  His 
moral  perceptions  and  taste,  are  blunted,  obscure,  per¬ 
verse.  He  sees  no  attractions  in  the  prospect  of  a  hap¬ 
piness,  whose  nature  he  cannot  comprehend, — whose 
worth  he  is  incapable  of  appreciating.  Let  his  mind  be 
spiritualized — let  it  be  restored  to  purity  and  virtue,  he 
will  then  discern  spiritual  things. 

Before  I  close  this  protracted  discussion,  allow  me  for 
a  moment  to  advert  to  some  popular  charges,  brought 
against  those  who  adopt  our  views  of  the  subject  wre 
have  been  considering. 


79 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


1.  It  is  often  alleged  that  we  diminish  the  evil  of  sin. 
make  it  a  trifling  matter,  and  are  disposed  to  think  most 
men  good  enough  as  they  are.  But  how  does  this  ap¬ 
pear  ?  Our  argument  concerns  a  false  account  of  the 
origin,  and  a  very  exaggerated  statement  of  the  amount 
of  sin  among  mankind.  We  leave  room  for  the  whole 
mass  of  facts  which  have  been,  or  may  be  gathered  out 
of  human  history,  to  prove  that  a  man  is  a  sinner,  and 
a  great  sinner  too.  But  we  stand  in  front  of  these 
facts,  and  beg  our  opponents  not  to  add  to  them  a 
pile  of  their  fanciful  creation.  We  think  that  there 
is  as  much  danger  of  overstating  in  a  case  of  this 
kind  ,  as  there  is  where  only  an  individual’s  reputation  is 
concerned.  We  desire  only  to  have  the  whole  truth  told. 
And  beside  the  dark  picture  of  guilt,  we  would  hang 
that  of  virtue,  and  point  to  the  one  as  well  as  to  the  oth¬ 
er,  when  we  are  describing  man.  It  surely  does  not  af¬ 
fect  the  magnitude  of  any  evil  to  trace  it  to  one,  rather 
than  another  source.  Or  if  it  does,  the  evil  of  sin  is  en¬ 
hanced  by  a  doctrine  which  attributes  it  to  every  man’s 
own  folly,  and  perverse  abuse  of  his  nature,  instead  of 
deriving  it  from  that  nature  itself,  which,  being  a  gift  of 
God,  ought  to  be  presumed  worthy  of  the  giver.  We  do 
not  make  sin  an  infinite  evil,  for  the  same  reason  that 
our  opponents  do  not  make  virtuous  qualities  infinite. 
There  can  be  nothing  infinite  in  a  finite  being.  We  do 
not  deny  that  there  is  much  wickedness  among  men  ;  we 
believe  that  the  whole  world  once  “lay  in  wickedness.” 
But  we  are  unwilling,  for  the  sake  of  accounting  for  this 
amount  of  guilt,  to  resort  to  a  theory  which  makes  God 
its  author.  No  man,  in  his  right  mind,  can  regard  sin  as 


40 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


30 


a  “  trifle. ”  We  believe  every  form  of  it  a  subject  of 
great  sorrow.  With  intense  anxiety  have  we  seen  the 
mad  course  of  the  ungodly,  and  we  lift  up  our  voices 
with  our  brethren,  to  entreat  them  to  fly  from  the  wrath 
to  come.  And  we  can  do  this  with  more  consistency, 
for  our  peculiar  views  of  the  point  in  question.  Not 
sheltering  ourselves  under  the  broad  covering  of  native, 
hereditary,  given  corruption,  we  are  compelled  to  feel 
more  earnestly  the  danger  to  which  we  have  exposed 
ourselves  by  our  acquired  guilt.  We  look  at  sin  as  it  is 
exhibited  in  the  individual  transgressor,  and  are  thus  as¬ 
sisted  in  our  efforts  to  impress  its  evil  on  our  hearts,  and 
fill  them  with  apprehension  at  the  thought  of  partaking 
it.  All  excuse  is  taken  away,  where  each  one  is  repre¬ 
sented  as  the  author  of  his  own  ruin. 

The  standard  of  Christian  holiness  is  common  to  all 
Christians.  We  compare  men  with  Jesus,  and  the  pre¬ 
cepts  of  Jesus.  Thus  we  judge  of  their  virtues,  and 
their  depravity.  This  can  hardly  produce  the  fault  of 
thinking  the  majority  good  enough  as  they  are.  None 
are  good  enough  ;  Regenerate  or  Unregenerate,  we  all 
come  far  short  of  the  mark  of  our  high  calling.  It  is 
not  always  they  who  most  decry  the  virtue  of' mankind, 
that  most  justly  appreciate  their  sins,  or  feel  the  most 
solicitude  for  their  improvement. 

2.  It  is  also  alleged  that  we  take  away  the  proper 
ground  of  humility.  In  reply,  I  need  only  remind  you  of 
a  well  known  principle.  That  which  we  possess  in  com¬ 
mon  with  every  body  else,  never  makes  us  proud.  So 
that  which  we  suppose  all  the  world  has  as  well  as  we, 
never  causes  the  feeling  of  humility.  \ou  are  not  proud 


81 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


41 


because  you  are  a  rational  animal.  You  are  not  humble, 
because  you  are  no  angel  ;  you  may  be  proud  of  that 
which  raises  you  above  others,  and  humbled  by  that 
which  sinks  you  in  their  esteem.  If  human  nature  be 
depraved,  yet  it  is  no  more  so  in  one,  than  all  ;  and 
therefore,  I  believe  few  would  venture  to  assert,  that  they 
are  humbled  by  the  thought  of  native  depravity  alone. 
No  :  humility  is  a  just  sense  of  our  own  imperfections 
and  unworthiness  ;  and  he  will  have  the  most  of  it,  who 
compares,  most  faithfully,  his  heart  and  life,  with  the 
characters  which  deserve  admiration,  and  perceives  his 
want  of  resemblance  ;  who  studies  his  duty  well,  and  un¬ 
derstands  the  defects  in  his  performance  of  it.  We  are 
not  disposed  to  boast  of  our  humility  ;  but  there  is  noth¬ 
ing  in  our  opinions  which  destroy  it.  There  is  a  spiritual 
pride  whose  appropriate  food  is  sought  in  rehearsing  to 
others,  the  corruptions  it  really  does  not  feel  ashamed 
of;  and  bemoaning  a  guilt,  the  charge  of  which,  it  would 
resent,  should  it  come  from  another’s  lips. 

3.  Again,  we  are  accused  of  undervaluing  “  the  great 
Salvation”  by  our  views  of  human  nature  ;  but  just  the 
opposite  is  true.  It  is  for  the  very  reason  that  we  think 
as  we  do  of  our  nature,  that  we  are  disposed  to  set  a 
high  value  on  the  Christian  scheme  of  mercy.  We  feel 
that  by  our  sins,  we  have  done  a  wrong  to  ourselves,  the 
most  mournful  and  dangerous.  We  compare  the  nature 
God  has  given  us,  which  is  “  but  a  little  lower  than  the 
angels,”  with  our  own  conduct,  and  confess  that  we  de¬ 
serve  a  heavy  punishment  for  so  degrading  it.  We  look 
up  to  the  bright  eminence,  from  which  the  sinner  falls, 
and  bless  more  earnestly  the  hand  which  lifts  him  from 


42 


ON  HUMAN  DEPRAVITY. 


82 


the  dust,  and  leads  him  back  to  virtue  and  to  God.  We 

*  # 

welcome  the  Saviour,  who  comes  to  restore  self-ruined 
men.  But  did  we  believe  that  God  gave  us  at  first,  a 
ruined  nature,  and  sent  us  helpless  and  abandoned  into 
the  waste,  howling  wilderness,  with  no  capacity  to  do 
good,  and  condemned  to  woes  eternal  for  doing  evil,  we 
should  not  value  highly  the  grace  which  afterward  calls 
home  a  few  of  us,  leaving  all  besides,  to  perish  without 
relief.  We  do  not,  and  we  cannot  feel  grateful  for  a 
Gospel  made  up  of  decrees  of  Election,  irresistible  in¬ 
fluences,  and  eternal  death.  But  we  rejoice,  yea,  and 
will  rejoice,  in  that  Gospel  of  the  blessed  God,  which 
reveals  a  Saviour  to  the  world,  and  opening  wide  the 
gates  of  Heaven,  proclaims  the  soul-cheering  words, 
“  Whosoever  will,  let  him  come.5'  We  do,  and  we  will 
give  thanks  to  the  Father  of  Jesus,  and  of  us,  that  he 
sent  his  Son  to  turn  us  from  our  iniquities,  reconcile  us 
to  himself,  and,  by  forming  us  to  virtue  here,  prepare  us, 
for  a  holy  rest  hereafter. 

Brethren,  while  we  divert  your  attention  from  false 
views  of  human  nature,  and  strive  to  banish  them  from 
your  minds,  we  still  call  upon  you  to  look  steadfastly  to 
the  characters  you  have  yourselves  acquired.  If,  for  the 
sin  of  our  first  father,  we  be  neither  guilty  nor  exposed 
to  punishment,  for  our  own,  we  most  assuredly  are. 
May  God  incline  our  hearts  to  repentance,  cherish  in  us 
every  good  desire  and  affection,  fill  us  with  the  love  of 
his  own  perfections,  and  give  us  fervent  charity  toward 
all  mankind  ! 


A 


Vi 


LETTER 


ON 

\ 


THE  PRINCIPLES 

\ 

OF  THE 

MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE 


PRINTED  FOR  THE 


American  Sanitarian  sassociatton. 


BOSTON, 

PRINTED  BY  ISAAC  R.  BUTTS  AND  CO. 

1826. 


Price  4  Cents. 


The  Executive  Committee  of  the  American  Unitarian  Associa- 
lion  have  been  induced  to  publish  this  as  one  of  their  series  of 
tracts,  by  a  conviction  that  the  subject  discussed  is  highly  impor¬ 
tant,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  is  here  treated  cannot  fail  “  to  pro- 

> 

mote  the  interests  of  pure  Christianity  throughout  our  country.”' 


LETTER. 


To 

The  Executive  Committee  of  the 

American  Unitarian  Association. 

Gentlemen, 

Debarred  as  I  am  at  present,  from  the  exercises  of 
the  pulpit,  by  the  feeble  state  of  my  health,  and  greatly 
solicitous  for  the  success  of  that  appeal,  which  has  re¬ 
cently  been  made  to  Unitarian  Christians,  for  the  cause  of 
Christianity  in  India,  I  would  ask  for  permission,  through 
you,  to  address  a  few  thoughts  to  the  members  of 
your  Association,  upon  the  principles  of  the  foreign  mis¬ 
sionary  enterprise .  There  have  long  been,  and  still  are, 
as  I  think,  both  great  vagueness,  and  great  extrava¬ 
gance  of  language  upon  this  subject,  alike  among  the 
friends  and  the  opposers  of  the  cause  of  foreign  mis¬ 
sions.  Some  of  our  orthodox  brethren  have  taken  the 
ground,  that  all  the  heathen,  merely  as  such,  are  con¬ 
demned  to  endless,  and  to  irremediable  misery,  unless 
indeed  they  shall  be  converted  to  Christianity  ;  a  doc¬ 
trine  from  which  Unitarians  turn  with  horror  ;  and  others 
of  them,  in  advocating  the  enterprise,  in  their  care  to 
use  terms  less  objectionable,  have  employed  those  only 
which  are  too  indefinite  to  bring  home  a  strong  sense  of 
its  obligation  to  any  mind,  which  was  not  previously  di«~ 


4 


Olf  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE 


158 


posed  to  engage  in  it.  And  most  Unitarians,  resting  on 
the  principles,  that  men  will  be  judged  according  to  what 
they  have,  and  not  according  to  what  they  have  not  ; 
and  that,  when  God  will  have  any  section  of  the  heathen 
world  to  be  enlightened  by  Christianity,  he  will  himself 
indicate  his  purpose,  and  provide  the  means  for  its  ac¬ 
complishment,  have  either  thought  but  little  upon  the 
subject,  or  have  waited  for  very  distinct  instructions 
respecting  their  duty  in  the  service.  A  new'  era,  how¬ 
ever,  seems  now  to  have  begun  among  Unitarians,  on  the 
question  of  the  duty  of  Christians  to  unite  in  the  w’ork  of 
extending  the  knowledge,  and  the  influences  of  our  reli¬ 
gion.  The  primary  objects  for  which  your  Association 
was  formed,  I  know,  were  “  to  diffuse  the  know  ledge, 
and  to  promote  the  interests,  of  pure  Christianity  through¬ 
out  our  country But  I  observed  that  at  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  Association,  a  resolution  was  unanimous¬ 
ly  passed,  “  that  this  Association  views  with  high 
gratification  the  prospect,  which  is  opened  of  a  more 
extended  mutual  acquaintance  and  cooperation  among 
Unitarian  Christians  throughout  the  world.”  This  shows 
that  your  thoughts  have  been  directed  to  the  situation  of 
other  lands,  and  the  extent  and  activity  of  your  opera¬ 
tions  recommend  an  address  to  you  in  preference  to  any 
other  mode  of  communicating  my  viewrs  to  those  w  hom 
I  am  desirous  to  reach.  I  hope,  therefore,  that,  as  my 
attention  has  been  for  sometime  employed  on  this  sub¬ 
ject,  I  may,  without  exposure  to  the  imputation  ol  arro¬ 
gance.  call  the  attention  of  Unitarian  Christians  among  us 
to  the  general, — the  original  question,  in  regard  to  foreign 
missions.  This  is  a  question,  whi^h,  I  think,  has  not  yet 


159 


MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE. 


5 


obtained  the  attention,  which  it  claims  from  us  ;  and  a 
fair  and  full  consideration  of  which,  it  seems  to  me,  can 
hardly  fail  to  bring  Christians  of  every  name,  to  a  cordial 
cooperation  in  every  well  devised  scheme,  for  the  great¬ 
est  possible  extension  of  the  privileges,  and  the  blessings 
of  christianitv. 

y 

I  would  then  propose  to  the  members  of  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Unitarian  Association,  and  to  all  Unitarian  Christians, 
the  inquiries,  the  missionary  spirit ,  what  is  it?  What  are 
its  principles?  Are  they,  or  are  they  not  among  the 
essential  principles  of  our  religion  ?  Are  they  or  are  they 
not  the  principles  by  which  our  Lord  and  his  apostles  were 
actuated  ?  Does  the  cause,  or  does  it  not,  demand  the 
sympathy,  the  earnestness,  and  the  aid  of  every  Christian  ? 

I  am  aware  that  there  are  those,  and  they  are  probably 
not  few,  who  will  not  at  once  be  disposed  to  view  the 
missionary  enterprise,  as  we  now  see  it,  as  essentially 
the  very  enterprise  of  our  Lord  and  his  apostles.  I  know, 
too,  that  are  those  who  consider  the  missionary  spirit,  as 
often  as  they  hear  of  it,  but  as  one  of  the  many  forms, 
which  an  ungoverned  religious  enthusiasm  assumes,  and 
that  there  are  those  also,  who  are  accustomed  to  view  it 
even  more  unfavourably  ;  and  but  as  one  of  the  forms, 
which  are  assumed  by  ambition,  or  by  avarice,  for  mere 
party,  selfish,  or  worldly  objects.  There  are  those, 
who  will  meet  our  first  suggestion  of  this  subject  with 
the  inquiries,  “  have  not  the  heathen  as  good  a  right  to 
their  religion,  as  you  have  to  yours  ?  Is  not  their  religion 
as  dear  to  them,  as  yours  is  to  you  ?  Are  they  not  as  sin¬ 
cere  believers  as  you  are  ;  and  will  not  God  accept  them 
in  their  sincerity  ?”  We  shall  be  asked,  “  what  injury 

1* 


VOL.  I. 


6 


ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE 


160 


results  to  you  from  the  faith,  or  practices  of  the  heathen 
world  ?  Or,  who  has  commissioned  you  to  quench  the  fire 
of  their  sacrifices,  and  to  overthrow  their  altars  ?  Think 
you,  that  they  will  be  cast  out  from  the  presence  and 
favour  of  God,  in  the  life  to  come,  because  they  know 
not  him  of  whom  they  have  never  heard  ;  or  that,  at  the 
bar  of  heaven  they  will  be  tried  by  a  law,  which  they 
have  never  had  an  opportunity  to  know  ?  Are  they  not 
as  happy  in  their  faith  as  you  are  in  yours  ;  and,  if  God 
intends  their  conversion  to  Christianity,  will  he  not  him- 
self  bring  them  to  the  faith  of  the  gospel  ?” — These  are 
inquiries  which  are  abroad,  and  which  are  to  be  fairly 
met.  They  involve  objections  to  the  missionary  cause, 
wrhich  ought  to  be  fairly  answered.  They  may  be,  and 
they  are,  proposed  by  mere  cavillers  ;  by  men  who  care 
not  for  religion  in  any  form  ;  and  who  would  advocate,, 
or  oppose  any  thing,  by  which  they  may  either  justify 
their  own  irreligion,  or  thwart,  and  vex  those,  who,  they 
think,  are  mere  pretenders  to  more  religion  than  they 
have  themselves.  But  they  are  made,  too,  by  men, 
whom  they  restrain  from  sympathy  in  the  missionary 
cause,  only  because  it  has  not  been  viewed  by  them  in  all 
its  bearings,  and  obligations.  They  are  made  by  men,  who 
have  been  disgusted  w  ith  the  cause,  or  at  least  have  been 
rendered  averse  from  it,  by  the  overcharged  statements 
that  have  been  made  in  defence  of  it  ;  by  the  injudicious 
manner  in  wThich  it  has  often  been  conducted  ;  by  the 
means  which  have  been  employed  in  its  support ;  by  the 
spirit  and  manner  of  some  of  its  agents  ;  and,  by  what 
has  been  thought  to  be  the  waste  of  treasure  that  has 
been  made,  in  most  ostentatiously  doing  nothing.  Let  us 
then  meet  these  inquiries,  as  the  objections  of  fair  minds  : 


161 


MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE. 


7 


and  answer  them,  by  an  appeal  to  principles,  which 
fair  minds  will  readily  acknowledge.  In  other  words,  let 
us  follow  back  the  missionary  enterprise  into  its  essential 
principles.  Let  us  consider  the  subject,  not  as  belonging 
to  one  or  another  of  the  parties  of  Christendom,  but, 
purely  as  one  belonging  to  our  common  interests,  and 
duties,  as  disciples  of  Christ.  Let  it  even  be  forgotten, 
if  it  may  be,  that  any  missionary  efforts  are  now  making; 
that  any  missionary  societies  are  now  existing  ;  and  let 
us  dispassionately  consider  the  enterprise,  as  a  subject  for 
speculation  ;  as  a  question  upon  which  we  are  to  deter¬ 
mine,  what  is  our  duty  as  Christians  ?  If  it  be  not  a  work, 
which  God  will  have  us  to  do,  the  sooner  it  comes  to 
nought,  the  better.  But  if  it  be  his  will  that  we  engage 
in  it,  let  us  not  oppose  it,  lest  haply  we  be  found  to  fight 
against  God. 

I  resume,  then,  the  inquiry,  the  missionary  spirit, — what 
is  it  ?  what  are  its  principles  ? 

I  answer,  the  first  principle  of  a  missionary  spirit,  or  a 
spirit  which  is  earnest  in  the  cause  of  diffusing  the 
knowledge  and  influence  of  our  religion, — is,  a  Christian 
sense  of  the  moral  and  religious  condition  of  those,  who  are 
living  under  the  influences  of  heathenism ,  and  of  false 
religion . 

The  question  arises,  what  is  a  Christian  sense  of  the 
religious  and  moral  condition  of  those,  who  are  living 
under  the  influences  of  heathenism,  and  of  false  religion  ? 

I  know  of  but  one  way,  in  which  we  can  obtain  a  sat¬ 
isfactory  answer  to  this  inquiry  ;  or,  an  answer  to  it, 
with  which  we  ought  to  be  satisfied  ;  and  that  is,  by  en¬ 
deavouring  as  well  as  we  may,  to  see  the  world,  to  the 


3 


ON  THE  PRINCIPLES?  OF  THE 


162 


extent  to  which  it  is  unenlightened  by  our  religion,  as 
our  Lord  and  his  Apostles  saw  it  ;  to  see  the  religious 
and  moral  condition  of  our  fellow  creatures,  who  are 
Unblessed  with  Christianity,  as  it  is  exposed  to  us  in  the 
light  of  the  will  and  purposes  of  God,  in  regard  to  the 
world,  as  they  are  made  known  to  us  in  the  New  Testa¬ 
ment.  No  one, — I  mean,  no  sincere  believer  in  Christ, — 
can  doubt  whether  he  ought  to  view  those  wrho  are  with¬ 
out  the  pale  of  Christianity,  as  our  religion  itself  views 
them  ;  or  whether  we  ought  to  feel,  to  cherish,  and  to 
exercise  towards  them,  the  sentiments  which  our  religion 
expresses  in  regard  to  them.  What,  then,  are  the  views 
and  sentiments  of  our  religion,  in  respect  to  the  heathen 
wrorld,  and  to  all  vrho  are  without  the  knowledge  of 
Christ  ? 

I  say  not,  for  Christianity  does  not  say,  that  among  the 
heathen,  and  the  believers  of  a  false  religion,  none  are 
virtuous.  There  were  in  the  time  of  our  Lord,  and  there 
are  now,  virtuous  and  good  men  under  every  form  of 
religion  in  the  world.  Nor  do  I  say,  for  our  religion 
does  not  say.,  that  the  offerers  of  a  false  worship,  as  far 
as  this  worship  is  offered  in  simplicity,  and  sincerity  of 
heart,  are  not  accepted  by  God.  I  have  not  a  doubt 
upon  the  question,  whether  they  are  accepted  by  him. 

I  believe,  for  I  think  that  our  religion  teaches  us,  that 
in  every  nation,  he  that  fears  God,  according  to  the  best 
conceptions  wrhich  he  has  of  him,  and  does  righteousness, 
as  far  as  he  understands  the  law  of  righteousness,  is  spir¬ 
itually  a  child  of  God,  and  will  not  fail  of  a  part  in 
the  inheritance  of  the  children  of  God.  And  I  further 
believe,  and  doubt  not,  that  no  one  who  has  lived,  or  who 


163 


MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE. 


9 


will  live,  from  the  necessity  of  his  condition,  ignorant  of 
the  true  God,  in  false  religion,  and  in  an  idolatrous  wor¬ 
ship,  will  at  last  be  condemned,  because  he  knew  not 
what  he  could  not  know  ;  and  did  not,  what  he  had  not 
the  means  of  understanding  that  it  was  his  duty  to  do. 
These,  I  hope,  will  be  considered  as  ample  concessions.* 
But,  with  all  these  concessions  distinctly  before  us,  let 
us  view  the  heathen  world, — the  world  that  is  without 
Christianity, — as  our  religion  views  it,  and  as  it  actually 
is.  I  would  not,  if  I  could,  excite  a  false,  an  artificial 
sympathy,  in  the  cause  of  missions.  Christianity  needs 
no  plotting,  no  trick,  no  concealment,  no  overcharged  re¬ 
presentations,  for  the  accomplishment  of  any  of  its  pur¬ 
poses.  But  let  us  not  shut  our  eyes  against  the  truth. 

*  I  here  quote  with  pleasure  the  sentiments  of  Macknight  upon 
the  question  of  the  salvation  of  heathens.  I  do  not  know  any  other 
writer,  of  those  who  are  called  orthodox,  who  has  treated  this 
subject  with  equal  liberality  of  feeling.  “  That  the  pious  hea¬ 
thens  should  have  their  faith  counted  to  them  for  righteousness  at 
the  judgment,  notwithstanding  it  may  have  been  deficient  in  many  ' 
particulars,  and  even  erroneous,  is  not  unreasonable  ;  provided  in 
these  instances  of  error,  they  have  used  their  best  endeavours  to 
know  the  truth,  and  have  ftot  been  led  by  these  errors  into  habitual 
sin.***For  it  can  no  longer  be  pretended,  that  by  making  faith  the 
means  of  salvation,  the  gospel  hath  consigned  all  the  heathens  to 
damnation.  Neither  can  God  be  accused  of  partiality,  in  conferring 
the  benefit  of  revelation  upon  so  small  a  portion  of  the  human  race, 
in  the  false  notion,  that  the  actual  knowledge  of  revelation  is  ne*» 
cessary  to  salvation.  For  although  the  number  of  those  who  have 
lived  without  revelation,  hath  hitherto  been  much  greater  than  of 
those  who  have  enjoyed  that  benefit,  no  unrighteousness  can  be  im¬ 
puted  to  God,  since  he  hath  not  excluded  those  from  salvation,  who 
have  been  denied  revelation.”  Translation  of  the  Apostolical 
Epistles,  vol.  1.  pp.  197 — 201 


10 


ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE 


164 


Let  us  not  view  heathenism,  and  false  religion,  only  as 
they  are  seen  in  the  characters  of  a  few  individuals,  who 
stand  out  in  most  honorable  prominence,  in  the  picture 
which  has  come  down  to  us  of  their  age  ;  and  who,  against 
every  adverse  influence,  were  illustrious  as  models  of  a 
piety  and  virtue,  which  would  have  made  them  worthy 
of  honour  in  any  age.  Nor  let  us  determine  the  charac¬ 
ter  of  heathenism,  and  of  false  religion,  by  considering 
them  as  they  are  manifested  merely  in  their  gorgeous 
shows  ;  in  their  pomp  and  splendour  ;  or,  as  they  are 
sometimes  brought  before  us,  in  their  most  simple  and 
harmless  rites.  They  have  other  features,  which  are  the 
indices  of  another  character.  They  have  other  princi¬ 
ples,  and  interests,  and  ends,  that  are  to  be  seen  in  a 
casual  glance  at  them  ;  other  practices  and  consequences, 
which  open  to  us  very  different  views  of  their  nature  and 
character  ;  and  which  are  suited  to  excite  a  corresponding 
difference  of  sentiment,  in  regard  to  those  who  are  under 
.their  influence.  Let  us,  then,  view  them  in  the  light  in 
which  they  are  brought  before  us  by  the  sentiments,  the 
feelings,  and  conduct,  of  Christ  and  his  apostles,  in  re¬ 
gard  to  them. 

In  this  aspect  of  the  subject,  I  would  say  that,  even 
if  there  wTere  not  to  be  found  in  the  records  of  our  reli¬ 
gion  any  clear  and  expressions  of  its  sentiments  in  re¬ 
spect  to  the  heathen,  and  to  all  to  wThom  a  knowledge  of 
it  has  not  been  imparted,  it  still  would  not  be  doubtful 
what  are  these  sentiments  ;  and  w'hat  are  the  feelings 
with  which  we  should  view  the  world,  which  is  without 
the  knowledge  of  Christ.  Take  only  the  conduct  of  our 
Lord  and  of  his  apostles,  their  labours,  and  their  suffer- 


165  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE.  11 

ings  even  to  death,  in  the  cause  of  extending  and  es¬ 
tablishing  our  religion ;  in  the  cause  of  opposing,  and  of 
exterminating  error,  superstition  and  sin  ;  in  the  cause 
of  rescuing  men  from  the  delusion,  and  the  debasement* 
of  idolatry  and  of  all  false  worship  ;  and  who  that  be¬ 
lieves  that  Christianity  is  a  dispensation  from  God,  can 
doubt  whether  the  rescue  of  men  from  this  delusion,  and 
this  debasement, — whether  the  recovery  of  heathens* 
and  of  those  who  are  living  under  the  influences  of  false 
religion,  from  their  errors,  superstitions  and  sins,  was  in 
itself  a  cause  as  great  and  important,  as  essential  to  hu¬ 
man  good  and  to  human  happiness,  as  this  plan  in  the 
divine  economy,  and  these  toils,  and  privations,  and  suf¬ 
ferings  for  its  accomplishment,  were  themselves  great 
and  peculiar  ?  Let  us  conceive,  as  distinctly  as  we  can, 
of  the  character  of  our  Lord.  Let  us  bring  him  before 
our  minds,  as  he  is  brought  before  us  in  the  New  Testa¬ 
ment,  as  the  Son  of  God  ;  the  long  promised  Messiah,  and 
Saviour,  whom  the  Father  had  sanctified  and  sent  into 
the  world,  for  the  express  end,  44  that  the  world  through 
him,  might  be  saved.”  Let  us  bring  him  before  our  minds, 
associated,  as  he  is  throughout  the  New  Testament,  in 
his  mission,  and  life,  and  death,  if  I  may  so  express  my¬ 
self,  with  the  deep  interest  of  God  himself,  in  the  cause 
of  suppressing  every  where  idolatry,  and  false  religion  ; 
and  of  recovering  men  from  the  degradation,  the  vices 
and  crimes,  to  which  ignorance  of  himself,  and  supersti¬ 
tion  had  brought  them.  Let  us  conceive  of  this  most 
exalted,  this  most  holy  of  all  the  messengers  of  God, 
laboring  daily,  and  daily  suffering,  that  he  might  bring 
men  to  the  truth,  and  sanctify  them  by  the  truth  ;  en¬ 
during  the  scoffs,  the  insults,  the  artifices,  and  the  perse- 


12 


ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE 


166 


cutions  of  those,  whom  he  came  “  to  save,  and  to  bless, 
by  turning  them  from  their  iniquities  unto  God  and  at 
last,  in  the  cause  of  that  salvation  which  he  preached, 
and  for  which  alone  he  lived,  “  humbling  himself  to  death, 
even  the  death  of  the  cross.”  Let  us  hear  him,  when  he 
sends  forth  his  apostles  to  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature,  saying  to  them,  “  he  that  believeth,  and  is  bap¬ 
tized,  shall  be  saved,  and  he  that  believeth  not,  shall  be 
condemned  and  let  us  follow  these  apostles,  who  have 
given  up  every  thing  of  this  world,  that  they  might 
preach  everywhere  “  the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ,” 
as  they  spread  themselves  through  Syria,  Phenicia,  the 
populous  provinces  of  Asia  Minor,  and  of  Macedonia 
and  Greece,  comprehending  the  cities  of  Antioch,  of 
Lystra  and  Derbe,  of  Thessalonica  and  Philippi,  of  Co¬ 
rinth  and  Ephesus,  of  Athens  and  Rome  ;  and,  if  we  should 
believe  tradition,  visiting  even  Spain,  and  the  shores  of 
Gaul  and  Britain.  Like  their  master,  they  are  willing  to 
spend,  and  to  be  spent,  in  the  work  ;  and  they  “  account 
all  things  to  be  but  loss,  for  the  excellency  of  the  knowl¬ 
edge  of  Christ  ;”  for  the  privilege,  as  widely  as  possible, 
of  extending  it  over  the  earth  ;  and,  like  their  Master, 
every  one  of  them  dies  in  the  cause  ;  and  most  of  them, 
the  victims  of  their  fidelity  in  it.  Suppose,  then,  that 
our  religion  had  not  given  to  us  any  very  definite  ex¬ 
pressions  of  the  religious  and  moral  state  of  those,  who 
were  living  in  heathenism,  and  false  religion.  Must  not 
the;f  condition,  I  would  ask,  have  been  most  deplorable, 
to  have  excited  this  sympathy,  this  interest,  stronger 
than  death,  in  their  recovery  ;  to  have  led  to  this  won¬ 
derful  plan,  in  God’s  moral  providence,  and  to  these 


167 


MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE. 


1o 

o 

wonderful  means,  for  their  rescue,  their  salvation  ?  And. 
can  it  be  a  question,  what  is  the  interest,  the  earnestness, 
which  we  should  feel,  in  the  cause  of  diffusing  the  know¬ 
ledge,  the  spirit,  and  the  blessings  of  our  religion  ? 

But  the  language  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  apostles,  in 
reference  to  the  religious  and  moral  condition  of  those 
who  are  without  the  gospel,  is  not  equivocal.  Interpreted 
as  they  should  be,  by  the  import  which  his  own,  and  the 
conduct  of  his  apostles  have  given  to  them,  the  expres¬ 
sions,  surely,  are  full  of  most  solemn  and  affecting  mean¬ 
ing,  “  the  Son  of  man  came,  to  seek,  and  to  save,  that 
which  was  lost.*’  Again,  “  God  so  loved  the  world,  that 
he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth 
in  him  should  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life  ;  for, 
God  sent  not  his  Son  into  the  world,  to  condemn  the 
world,  but  that  the  world  through  him  might  be  saved.” 
Again  ;  “  They  that  are  whole  have  no  need  of  a  physi¬ 
cian,  but  they  that  are  sick.  I  came  not  to  call  the 
righteous,  but  sinners  to  repentance.”  Again  ;  “  I  am 
come  a  light  into  the  world,  that  whosoever  believeth  in  . 
me,  may  not  abide  in  darkness,  but  may  have  the  light 
of  life.”  And,  in  conformity  with  this  language,  the 
apostle  of  the  Gentiles  represents  them  as  “  without  God 
in  the  world,”  and  without  any  rational  hope.  He  says 
to  them,  “  ye  were  darkness  ;  but  now  are  ye  light  in  the 
Lord.”  “  Ye  were  afar  off but  now  are  “  made  nigh  by 
the  blood  of  Christ.”  But  instead  of  quoting  detached 
expressions  on  this  subject,  let  me  refer  any  one,  who 
would  conceive  rightly  of  it,  to  the  three  first  chapters 
of  the  epistle  to  the  Romans.  Here  is  a  picture  of  de¬ 
gradation,  of  sin  and  misery,  which  will  prepare  any 

2 


VOL.  I. 


14 


ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE 


168 


one,  who  has  read  the  evangelists  with  any  serious  at¬ 
tention,  for  the  inference  of  the  author  of  this  epistle, 
“  We  have  proved  both  of  Jews  and  Gentiles,  that  they 
are  all  under  sin.”  Our  Lord,  indeed,  uttered  no  denun¬ 
ciations  against  the  mere  offerers  of  a  false  worship  ;  nor 
did  his  apostles,  great  as  was  their  zeal  for  the  conver¬ 
sion  of  men,  pronounce  anathemas  against  them,  merely 
as  idolaters.  But  our  religion  contemplates  idolatry, 
and  all  false  religion,  even  in  their  best  state,  and  least 
corrupting  influence,  as  a  delusion,  from  which  God  in 
his  mercy  would  rescue  those  who  are  living  under  them. 
It  also  brings  idolatry  and  false  religion  before  us,  as 
the  history  of  all  time  represents  them,  as  the  prolific 
mothers  of  all  the  vices  and  crimes,  that  can  debase 
our  nature  and  disqualify  for  heaven.  In  the  view  of 
Christ  and  his  apostles,  the  world  was  worshipping, 
“they  knew  not  what.’’  Men  were  not  only  in  dark¬ 
ness,  but  were  “  loving  darkness  better  than  light,  be¬ 
cause  their  deeds  were  evil.”  They  were  immortal 
beings  ;  yet  “  alienated  from  the  life  of  God,  through 
the  ignorance  that  wTas  in  them  “  given  up  to  un¬ 
cleanness,  and  to  vile  affections  degraded  from  the 
condition,  and  lost  to  the  purposes,  for  which  God 
designed  them.  Let  it  be  admitted  then,  that  there 
were  those,  both  among  Jews  and  Gentiles,  who,  be¬ 
fore  they  had  heard  the  teaching  of  our  Lord  and  of 
his  apostles,  were  prepared  to  sit  down  with  Abra¬ 
ham,  and  Isaac  and  Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 
Still,  the  records  of  the  evangelists,  of  the  apostles,  and 
of  profane  history,  alike  assure  us,  that  offences  both 
against  piety  and  virtue,  which  are  not  to  be  named 


169 


MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE. 


15 


among  Christians,  were  not  only  established  by  usage, 
but  were  sanctioned  by  all  the  authority,  which  the 
opinion  and  example  of  the  master  spirits  of  the  age 
could  give  to  them.  We  do  not  violate  charity,  when 
we  say  of  the  decidedly  virtuous  heathen  in  the  time  of 
our  Lord,  that  they  wer efew  ;  that  they  shone  as  stars, 
appearing  here  and  there  in  a  night,  when  heavy  and 
black  clouds  had  gathered,  and  were  rolling  tumultuous¬ 
ly  through  the  air,  accumulating  in  their  progress  new 
elements  of  a  storm,  which  was  threatening  to  burst 
with  tremendous  violence  upon  the  earth.  And  I  would 
ask,  has  any  important  change,  since  that  time,  been 
made  in  the  character  of  heathenism,  and  of  false  reli¬ 
gion  ?  If  not,  what  should  be  our  sentiments  of  them  ? 
And,  what  are  our  obligations  in  regard  to  those,  wdio 
know  not  God,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  he  has  sent  ? 

“  While  Paul  waited  at  Athens,”  as  we  are  told,  “  his 
spirit  was  stirred  in  him,  when  he  saw  the  city  wholly 
given  up  to  idolatry.”  This  translation  of  the  words  of 
the  evangelist,  however,  expresses  but  feebly  the  emo¬ 
tions,  which  were  excited  in  the  mind  of  the  apostle, 
when  he  saw  every  where  about  him  the  images,  that 
were  worshipped  by  the  Athenians.  So  zealous,  indeed, 
as  is  well  known,  were  the  Greeks,  and  especially  the 
Athenians,  for  this  species  of  worship,  that,  not  satisfied 
with  the  number  of  deities,  which  had  come  down  to  them 
from  their  fathers,  they  not  only  often  consecrated  new 
ones  of  their  own  invention,  but  freely  adopted  also  the 
gods  of  other  nations.  Nay,  so  careful  were  they  not 
to  omit  the  acknowledgment  of  any  divine  power, 
whether  celestial,  terrestrial,  or  infernal,  which  they  even 


16 


ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE 


170 


suspected  might  claim  their  homage,  that  they  erected 
altars  to  unknown  gods  ;  until  they  had  no  less  than 
thirty  thousand  objects  of  worship.*  Paul,  therefore, 
saw  the  city,  not  only  given  up  wholly  to  idolatry,  but 
full  of  the  images  of  the  gods  of  Greece.  He  saw  the 
city,  the  most  renowned  in  the  world  for  the  triumphs  of 
art,  the  most  splendid  on  the  earth  in  its  temples,  the 
proudest  in  its  schools  of  philosophy  ;  the  city  to  which 
even  imperial  Rome  sent  the  most  distinguished  of  its 
youth,  to  train  them  for  the  forum,  and  to  qualify  them  to 
be  instructers  at  home,  filled  with  idols.  He  saw  the  city, 
which  was  the  centre  of  the  learning  of  the  world,  lying 
in  the  darkness  of  utter  ignorance  of  the  one  true  God. 
He  saw  the  human  mind,  there,  at  once  exalted  by  eve¬ 
ry  earthly  attainment,  and  depraved  and  debased,  by 
the  most  licentious  and  corrupt  superstition.  He  saw 
those  immortal  beings  prostituting  the  highest  powers 
of  their  nature  to  the  lowest  and  vilest  services  ; 
and  dishonoring  alike  themselves,  and  God  their  ma¬ 
ker.  Not  only,  therefore,  was  his  spirit  “  stirred  with¬ 
in  him  but  his  was  at  once,  a  mingled  emotion  of 
indignation  against  those,  who,  “  professing  themselves 
to  be  wise,”  had  closed  their  minds  against  the  know¬ 
ledge  of  God,  and  were  blind  leaders  of  the  blind  ; 
of  pity  towards  the  miserably  deluded  multitude  ;  of 
zeal  for  the  cause  of  God  and  of  human  nature  ;  and 
of  earnestness  for  the  reformation,  and  the  salvation  of 
men,  so  lost  in  ignorance  and  sin.  It  was  the  excite¬ 
ment  of  a  mind,  which  was  enlightened  and  sanctified 
by  Christian  conceptions  of  God,  and  by  Christian  senti 


'  Robinson’s  Archeeologia  Grseca,  p.  195 


171 


MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE. 


17 


merits  of  the  worship  and  duty,  which  man  owes  to  his 
Maker.  It  was  the  action  of  a  mind,  under  the  influence 
of  Christian  views  of  the  condition  of  man,  while  yet  in 
idolatry  and  sin  ;  and  of  the  designs  of  God  in  regard  to 
the  world,  by  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.  It  was  the  move¬ 
ment  of  a  mind,  which  felt  the  infinite  worth  of  the 
religion  of  Christ  ;  which  felt  an  unquenchable  zeal  for 
the  extension  of  its  blessings  ;  and  which  could  not  be 
satisfied  with  itself,  while  any  thing  was  neglected,  that 
could  be  done  to  reform,  and  to  save  the  world.  We 
have,  indeed,  no  reason  to  suppose,  that  Paul  was  more 
strongly  affected  by  the  spectacle  of  idols  and  of  idolatry 
at  Athens,  than  he  was  at  Rome,  or  at  Corinth,  or  at 
Ephesus,  or  at  Thessalonica  ;  or  than  he  was  at  any 
place,  in  which  he  witnessed  the  triumph  of  a  false,  and 
a  debasing  worship,  and  the  corruption  of  heart  and  man¬ 
ners  that  are  associated  with  it.  We  have  here  but  the 
incidental  expression  of  a  feeling,  or  rather,  of  a  state 
of  mind,  with  which  he  every  where,  and  at  all  times, 
looked  upon  the  heathen  world.  He  had  been  sent  forth, 
like  the  other  apostles,  “  to  preach  the  gospel  to  every 
creature  to  call  men,  “  every  where,  to  repent,  and  to 
turn  to  God  ;  to  open  their  eyes,  and  to  turn  them  from 
darkness  to  light  and  every  where  to  establish  the 
worship  and  service  of  the  one  God,  “  through  the  one 
mediator  between  God  and  man,  the  man  Christ  Jesus.” 
And,  in  this  cause,  he  had  made  the  greatest  personal  sa¬ 
crifices  to  which  man  could  be  called  ;  and  had  endured  all 
that  man  could  sustain.  I  need  not  enter  into  a  detail  of  his 
journeyings,  of  his  labours,  and  of  the  persecutions  which 
he  suffered,  while,  with  unimpaired  fortitude  and  resolu- 


VOL.  i. 


18 


ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE 


m 


tion,  he  ceased  not,  in  the  city  and  the  country,  on  the 
land  and  on  the  sea,  while  at  liberty  and  while  in  chains, 
by  conversation,  by  preaching  and  by  his  letters,  to  do 
all  that  man  could  do,  to  reclaim  his  fellow-men  from 
idolatry  and  sin,  to  the  faith  of  Christ  ;  to  the  know¬ 
ledge,  and  love,  and  worship  of  God  ;  and  to  holiness 
here,  in  preparation  for  immortal  happiness  hereafter. 
We  all  know  that,  in  this  work  Paul  persisted  against  all 
obstacles,  and  under  every  accumulation  of  suffering, 
untired,  and  undiscouraged  ;  and  that,  like  his  master, 
he  gloriously  terminated  his  life  and  his  toils  together  in 
the  cause. — I  would  then  ask  any  one,  who  is  opposed 
to  the  missionary  cause,  or  who  is  indifferent  concern¬ 
ing  it,  here  to  pause  and  seriously  to  consider,  whence 
was  this  sympathy  of  Paul  in  the  moral  condition  of  the 
heathen  world  ?  Was  it  unreasonable  ?  Was  it  ex¬ 
cessive  ?  Were  his  efforts,  or  his  sacrifices,  beyond  the 
fair  demands,  or  the  true  importance,  of  the  object  ? 
Or,  did  he  in  truth  feel  no  more  for  this  cause,  than 
ought  to  be  felt  for  it  by  every  Christian  ? 

The  true  view  of  heathenism  is,  not  that  it  is  a 
condition,  in  which,  if  a  man  die,  he  is  therefore  ne¬ 
cessarily  under  eternal  condemnation.  Terrible  thought ; 
and  most  dishonourable  alike  to  God,  and  to  Christ¬ 
ianity  !  But,  still,  that  it  is  a  condition  of  darkness, 
of  sin,  and  wretchedness,  from  which  it  is  God’s  pur¬ 
pose  to  redeem  the  world.  Paul  saw  not,  nor  did 
any  of  the  apostles  see,  in  the  heathen  ♦  world,  men 
who  were  doomed  to  endless  perdition,  only  because 
they  were  pagans.  But  he  saw  in  them  the  human  na¬ 
ture  degraded  and  debased  ;  and  his  was  a  deep,  and 


173 


MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE. 


19 

strong  feeling  of  the  greatness  of  the  change,  in  charac¬ 
ter,  in  condition,  and  in  happiness,  which  a  cordial  recep¬ 
tion  of  Christianity  would  bring  to  them.  He  saw  in 
them  men,  who  were  groping  their  way,  they  knew  not 
whither  ;  and  who  were  sinking  deeper  in  moral  turpi¬ 
tude  by  the  very  efforts,  the  very  services,  to  which 
their  false  and  debasing  conceptions  of  religion  were 
leading  them.  He  saw  the  moral  image  of  God  in  the 
soul  to  be  marred  and  defiled ;  and  he  saw,  and  felt 
that,  by  the  religion  of  Christ  alone,  its  beauty  and 
its  purity  could  be  restored.  In  these  sentiments,  and 
these  feelings,  is  the  first  element  of  the  mission¬ 
ary  spirit  ;  or,  of  a  spirit  alive  to  the  cause  of  the 
greatest  practicable  extension  of  the  gospel  of  Christ. 
Although,  as  a  Jew,  he  had  from  his  childhood  known 
and  worshipped  God,  yet,  as  a  Jew,  Paul  had  felt  no 
interest  in  the  cause  of  extending  a  knowledge  of  God 
to  the  heathen.  But  Christianity  had  given  to  him  new 
conceptions  of  the  character  and  designs  of  God  ;  and 
new  views  of  the  condition  of  man,  while -living  in  igno¬ 
rance  of  God,  and  in  sin.  And  if  we  see  our  fellow 
creatures  in  the  darkness,  and  debasement,  and  misery 
of  superstition,  idolatry  and  crime,  and  have  none  of  the 
sympathy  with  their  condition  which  Paul  felt,  and  none 
of  the  interest  which  our  religion  breathes  from  every 
page  of  its  records,  in  the  cause  of  their  deliverance, 
their  redemption,  have  we  the  spirit  of  the  disciples 
of  Christ  ?  or,  are  we  Christians  ? 

Different  views  are  taken  of  heathenism,  and  of  false 
religion,  and  very  different  sentiments  are  excited  in  re¬ 
gard  to  them,  far  less  from  the  actual  diversity  of  their 


20 


ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE 


174 


character, — although,  indeed,  it  differs  greatly  in  different 

places, — than  from  the  diversity  of  the  state  of  mind  in 

* 

which  it  is  contemplated  by  men.  An  infidel  has  told 
us,  that  “  the  religion  of  the  pagans  consisted  alone  in 
morality  and  festivals  ;  in  morality,  which  is  common  to 
men  in  all  ages  and  countries  ;  and  in  festivals,  which 
were  no  other  than  seasons  of  rejoicing,  and  which  could 
bring  with  them  no  injury  to  mankind.’'*'  And  with  a 
merely  speculative  Christian,  by  whom  religion  is  regard¬ 
ed  only  as  a  matter  of  opinion, — a  subject  for  occasional 
discussion,  the  pagan  idolatry  was,  and  is,  a  mere  specu¬ 
lative  absurdity.  With  those  who  view  religion  only  as 
a  political  engine,  paganism,  and  all  religion,  is  good  or 
bad,  at  it  is  favourable  or  unfavourable,  to  their  views 
of  civil  policy.  And  by  those  who  care  little  or  nothing 
for  the  religion  in  which  they  have  been  educated,  in 
any  of  its  forms,  or  of  its  characteristic  sentiments,  no 
interest  whatever  will  of  course  be  felt,  in  the  religious 
or  moral  condition  of  the  world.  But  neither  did  our 
Lord  nor  his  apostles,  look  upon  heathenism  with  indif¬ 
ference  ;  nor  alone,  nor  peculiarly  in  its  political  bearings  ; 
nor  as  a  mere  error  of  judgment  ;  nor  as  an  innocent,  or 
a  moral  institution.  No.  Had  our  Lord  and  his  apostles 
reasoned  of  the  world,  as  too  many  now  reason  of 
those  who  are  without  the  knowledge  of  God,  and  the 
blessings  of  his  gospel  ;  had  they  said,  “  the  time  has 
not  come  to  bring  Jews  and  heathens  to  the  knowledge 
of  the  truth.  They  are  not  qualified  to  receive  it.  God 
will  execute  his  own  work,  in  his  own  time.  They  are 
safe.  They  will  be  judged  in  equity,  and  in  mercy. 


*  Voltaire’s  Louis  XIV. 


175 


MISSIONARY"  ENTERPRISE. 


c2i 


Why  then  interfere,  where  our  interference  is  not  re¬ 
quested?” — Had  our  Lord  and  his  apostles  thus  rea¬ 
soned  of  the  world,  what  would  now  have  been  our 
condition  ?  How  much  better  than  that  of  the  ancient 
idolaters  of  Athens,  or  of  Rome  ;  or  the  modern  idola¬ 
ters  of  Hindoostan,  or  of  China  ?  Let  impartial  justice 
preside  over  the  inquiry,  and  I  have  no  fear  concerning 
the  decision  upon  it  in  every  mind. 

May  I  not  then  say  to  you,  reader,  whoever  you  may 
be,  cultivate  a  Christian  sense  of  the  religious  and  moral 
condition  of  those,  who  are  living  under  the  influences 
of  heathenism,  and  of  false  religion,  and,  like  Paul’s,  your 
spirit  will  be  “  stirred  in  you,”  when  you  look  upon  the 
nations  that  are  “  wholly  given  up  to  idolatry  ?”  Yes,  carry 
with  you  into  those  dark  regions  of  the  earth,  the  light 
and  spirit  of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  and  your  heart  will 
“  burn  within  you,”  with  compassion  for  their  miserable 
condition,  and  with  Christian  zeal  in  the  cause  of  their 
deliverance  from  it.  What,  indeed,  is  there,  that  is  low, 
what  that  is  vicious,  or  what  that  is  wretched,  which  was 
not  comprehended  in  ancient,  and  which  is  not  compre¬ 
hended  in  modern,  heathenism  1  There  is  nothing  to  be 
conceived  either  of  lewdness,  or  of  cruelty,  which  had 
not  the  sanctions  of  the  religion  of  Greece  and  Rome  ; 
and  which  is  not  now  a  part  of  the  idolatrous  worship  of 
the  world.  Nor,  in  any  section  of  the  world,  was  moral 
instruction  ever  connected  with  any  department,  or  office, 
of  heathen  worship.  Nay,  more.  This  worship,  with 
the  vices  that  were  not  only  incidental  to  it,  but  which 
found,  in  some  of  its  exercises,  their  very  spirit  and  life, 
was  not  left,  even  in  the  most  cultivated  ages  of  antiqui- 


22 


ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE 


17G 


t)r,  alone  to  exert  its  full  influence  upon  the  multitude. 
Even  legislators  and  philosophers,  instead  of  endeavour¬ 
ing  to  instruct,  and  to  reclaim  their  ignorant  and  corrupt¬ 
ed  countrymen,  encouraged  this  degrading  service  by 
their  teaching,  required  it  by  their  laws,  and  sanctioned 
it  bv  their  examples.  I  ask  only,  then,  that  the  world 
which  is  without  our  religion,  should  be  seen  by  us  in 
the  light,  and  considered  with  the  sentiments,  with  which 
it  wFas  seen  and  considered  by  our  Lord  and  his  Apos¬ 
tles ;  and  we  shall  be  secure  of  the  first  element,  or  prin¬ 
ciple,  of  that  spirit,  which  will  earnestly  desire,  and  gladly 
seize  the  occasion,  as  widely  as  possible  to  diffuse  the 
knowledge,  and  influence,  of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 

The  second  element,  or  principle,  of  that  spirit,  which 
feels  its  obligation  to  do  all  that  it  may  for  the  diffusion 
of  our  religion,  is,  a  deep  and  strong  sense  of  the  reality, 
and  power,  and  worth  of  our  religion;  and  of  the  inesti¬ 
mable  blessings  which  it  will  not  fail  to  impart  to  those ,  who 
shall  cordially  receive ,  and  faithfully  obey  it. 

I  have  dwelt,  perhaps,  longer  than  it  may  be  thought 
by  many  to  have  been  necessary  that  I  should  have 
dwelt,  on  the  sentiments  with  which  our  religion  re¬ 
gards  the  heathen  wrorld.  But  I  know7  that  there  are  not 
a  few7,  even  of  those  who  have  made  some  progress  in 
religious  knowledge,  whose  opinions  on  this  subject  are 
unformed  and  unsettled;  and  that  there  are  not  a  few7 
also,  who  reason,  as  I  think,  most  unjustly  concerning  it. 
I  was  willing,  also,  to  detain  attention  for  a  few  minutes 
longer  than  1  would  otherwise  have  done,  upon  the  first 
element,  or  principle,  of  the  missionary  enterprise,  from 
a  conviction  that,  if  this  principle  be  distinctly  understood 


177 


MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE. 


and  strongly  felt,  a  preparation  will  be  secured  for  the 
succeeding  topics  of  this  letter.  These  topics  I  will  now 
treat  as  briefly  as  I  can. 

Is  our  religion,  then,  a  reality  ?  Are  its  doctrines  re¬ 
specting  the  character  and  government  of  God,  respect¬ 
ing  the  condition  of  man  in  this  world,  respecting  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  eternal  life  that  is  beyond  the 
grave,  actually  a  revelation  from  God  to  us  1  I  appeal,  then, 
to  the  consciousness  which  the  Christian  has  of  the  power, 
and  the  worth  of  his  religion.  I  appeal  to  his  experi¬ 
ence  of  its  purifying,  its  heavenly  influence,  upon  the 
heart  that  receives,  and  loves  it,  and  yields  to  it.  1  ap¬ 
peal  to  his  experience  of  its  adaptation  to  the  strongest 
wants  of  his  nature  ;  to  the  wants  of  his  immortal  nature  ; 
to  his  experience  of  its  power  of  exalting  the  soul  above 
all  that  would  degrade  and  debase  it ;  of  bringing  man  to 
the  greatest  nearness  to  God,  to  which  he  can  be  brought 
in  this  world  ;  and  of  giving,  even  here,  a  foretaste  of  the 
blessedness,  which  it  assures  to  its  obedient  believers 
hereafter. 

Who  that  thus  knows  the  power  and  the  worth  of  the 
religion  of  Christ,  will  not  most  earnestly,  most  solici¬ 
tously  desire  its  widest,  its  universal  extension  1  We 
may  possess  knowledge,  and  riches,  and  other  sources  of 
great  immediate  gratification,  and  be  strongly  sensible  of 
their  worth,  and  yet  not  only  not  desire  their  diffusion, 
but  even  feel  our  own  interest  and  happiness  essentially 
to  depend  upon  the  very  fact,  of  our  exclusive  possession 
of  them.  But  so  it  cannot  be  in  regard  to  the  principles 
and  the  spirit  of  the  religion  of  Christ.  In  each  one  of 
its  principles,  and  in  every  object  of  it,  Christianity  is 


24 


OX  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE 


178 


stamped  with  a  character  of  universality ,  which  belongs 
to  no  other  religion;  and,  corresponding  with  this  pecu¬ 
liarity  of  it,  is  the  spirit  which  it  awakens  in  its  sincere 
believers.  Christian  benevolence,  the  love  which  Christ¬ 
ianity  inspires,  is  a  principle  that  cannot  lie  inactive  in 
the  soul  that  receives  it.  It  will  even  expand  itself  be¬ 
yond  the  sphere  of  its  capacity  of  action.  It  will  wish, 
and  it  will  pray  for,  the  amelioration  of  the  suffering,  to 
which  it  can  extend  only  the  emotions,  and  the  breath¬ 
ings,  of  its  compassionate  desires.  It  will  wish,  and  it 
will  pray  for,  the  universal  diffusion  of  truth,  and  purity, 
and  happiness.  Nor  will  it  evaporate  in  a  wish  ;  or  think 
that  its  end  is  attained,  only  by  a  prayer  for  the  good  of 
all  men.  It  will  not  indeed  waste  itself  on  the  expanse 
of  ignorance,  and  weakness,  and  suffering,  and  sin  ;  or 
spend  its  strength,  where  it  can  impart  no  light,  or  com¬ 
fort,  or  improvement.  But  while  it  diffuses  itself,  like 
that  subtile,  elastic,  all  pervading  fluid,  which  surrounds 
and  fills  our  earth,  and  is  the  life  of  every  living  thing, 
it  will  ever  delight  to  concentrate  its  power;  and  here, 
and  there,  and  every  where,  as  it  may,  to  accomplish  the 
greatest  good  of  w7hich  it  is  capable.  Christian  benevo¬ 
lence  will  never  hesitate  upon  the  question,  whether  it 
shall  act,  wherever  it  may  act,  for  the  good  of  others.  It 
can  no  more  live  without  this  action,  than  the  selfish 
principle  can  live  without  action  for  its  own  indulgence. 
Do  I,  then,  address  those  who  have  a  Christian  sense  of 
the  reality,  and  power,  and  worth  of  our  religion  1  With 
them,  the  knowledge  of  an  opportunity,  and  the  possess¬ 
ion  of  the  means,  of  more  wddely  extending  it,  will  at 
once  secure  all  that  Christian  earnestness,  and  that  Christ¬ 
ian  benevolence,  can  accomplish  in  this  enterprise 


179 


MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE. 


25 


In  thinking  of  the  early  extension  of  our  religion,— 
the  unexampled  rapidity  of  its  extension  during  the  life 
of  the  apostles  ;  and  in  pursuing  the  inquiries,  “  why  has 
it  not  since  been  more  widely  diffused  ?  Why  has  it  not 
long  ago  penetrated  into  every  region,  where  civil  gov¬ 
ernment  is  established,  and  the  arts  of  civilized  life  are 
cultivated,  and  where  men  are  qualified  to  weigh  the 
evidences  of  its  truth  ?  and,  why  has  it  not  overshadow¬ 
ed,  and  withered  the  superstitious,  and  exterminated  the 
false  religion,  and  the  idolatries,  of  Turkey,  of  Persia,  of 
Hindoostan,  and  of  the  vast  empire  of  China  ?  Why  has 
it  not  yet  spread  through  Africa,  and  through  South 
America  ;  why  has  it  not  accomplished  in  the  islands  of 
the  Indian  ocean,  and  in  all  those  of  the  Pacific,  the  good 
wrhich  it  is  said  recently  to  have  accomplished  in  the  So¬ 
ciety  isles  ?”* — In  thus  comparing  what  our  religion  has 

*  In  the  year  1773,  Capt.  Cook  estimated  the  number  of  inhab¬ 
itants  in  the  Society  Islands  at  200,000.  The  missionaries  think 
that  there  must  have  been,  at  that  time,  at  least  150,000.  But  in 
1797,  when  the  missionaries  arrived  there,  the  number  did  not  ex¬ 
ceed  20,000  ;  and  before  Christianity  began  to  exert  much  influ¬ 
ence  there,  the  number  had  diminished  to  little  more  than  15,000. 
It  is  believed  that  two  thirds  of  the  children  that  were  born,  were 
sacrificed  to  idols  ;  or  were  thrown  into  the  sea  to  propitiate  the 
sharks,  which  were  worshipped  as  gods  ;  or  were  buried  alive. 
In  the  years  1801  and  1802,  Mr  John  Turnbull  resided  at  Otaheite 
for  commercial  purposes  ;  and  has  since  published  “  A  Voyage 
round  the  World,  in  the  years  1800,  1,2,  3,  and  4.”  Of  the  in¬ 
habitants  of  these  islands,  he  says,  “  their  pollution  beggars  all 
description  ;  and  my  mind  revolts  from  a  recollection,  which  re¬ 
calls  so  many  objects  of  disgust  and  horror.  Their  wickedness  is 
enough  to  call  down  the  immediate  judgment  of  heaven  ;  and  un¬ 
less  their  manners  change,  I  pronounce  that  they  will  not  long 
VOL.  I.  3 


ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE 


130 


26 

done,  with  what  we  are  very  plainly  taught  that  it  was 
intended  to  do,  we  too  easily  rest  in  causes  of  its  past, 
and  present  condition,  which  leave  the  blame  of  the  nar¬ 
rowness  of  the  present  bounds  of  Christendom  any  where, 
but  where  indeed  it  belongs  ;  that  is,  with  those  who 
have  called  themselves  Christians.  It  is  said  too,  in  our 
own  justification,  that  the  age  of  miracles  has  passed  ; 
and  that  converts  are  not  therefore  now  to  be  made,  as 
they  were  made  in  the  days  of  the  apostles.  And  then 
we  resort  to  the  consideration,  that  there  is  work  enough 
to  be  done  at  home,  without  going  abroad  to  proselyte. 
And,  if  still  pressed  upon  the  subject,  we  ask,  “  where, 

remain  in  the  number  of  nations.”  Note,  however,  not  less  than 
12,000,  in  these  islands,  can  read  the  word  of  God  intelligibly  ; 
considerable  portions  of  which  have  been  translated  into  their  lan¬ 
guage,  printed,  and  circulated.  Three  thousand  children  and 
adults  are  now  in  the  school.  Many  are  .able  to  write,  and  some 
are  considerably  acquainted  with  arithmetic.  The  pleasures  of 
the  domestic  circle  are  now  known  among  them.  Industry  has 
increased.  Drunkenness  has  become  rare.  Theft  seldom  occurs  ; 
and  murder  is  still  more  unfrequent.  The  aged  and  infirm  are 
kindly  treated.  Hospitals  have  been  established  ;  and  charitable 
societies  instituted,  to  relieve  the  afflicted  poor.  Their  govern¬ 
ment  is  defined,  and  limited  by  a  constitution  ;  and  the  king  and 
his  chiefs  have  power  only  to  execute  the  laws.  Their  wars  are 
ended,  and  the  weapons  of  war  are  perishing.  Family  prayer  is 
almost  universal.  Twenty  eight  houses  of  worship  are  opened  on 
the  Sabbath,  and  eighteen  natives  are  employed  as  missionaries 
in  the  neighbouring  islands.  These  are  facts  which  require  no 
comment.  It  would  be  easy  to  adduce  many  others,  in  regard  to 
these  islanders,  which  are  not  less  interesting.  But  I  would  rather 
refer  the  reader,  who  would  know  more  of  this  subject,  to  the 
London  Quarterly  Chronicle  for  July  and  October,  1823;  and  to 
the  Missionary  Herald  for  September,  1825. 


181 


MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE. 


27 


and  what,  are  the  indications  of  providence,  that  our 
labours  in  the  work  of  extending  our  religion  among  the 
heathen  will  be  successful  ?”  But  I  would  ask  any  one  who 
so  reasons  concerning  the  missionary  cause,  to  bring  home 
to  himself  the  inquiry,  as  far  as  respects  the  intellectual 
and  moral  condition  of  the  world,  “  what  better  indications 
had  our  Lord  and  his  apostles,  of  success  in  the  work  of 
diffusing  his  religion,  than  we  now  have  ?”  I  may  ask, 
too,  even  at  the  hazard  of  startling  those  who  have  not 
so  viewed  it,  if  our  religion  be  not,  essentially,  a  religion 
of  proselytism  ?  Are  not  its  designs  respecting  all  man¬ 
kind  forcing  themselves  upon  our  notice,  on  every  page 
of  its  records  ?  Does  it  offer  any  compromise  with  false 
religion,  or  with  idolatry,  in  any  of  their  forms  ?  Nay, 
more,  I  would  ask,  if  Christianity  is  to  be  extended  over 
the  whole  world,  and  if  the  age  of  miracles  be  gone  by, 
not  to  return,  where  is  the  consistency  of  waiting  for  a 
miraculous  direction  in  this  work,  and  for  miraculous  as¬ 
sistance  in  its  execution  ?  Shall  we  then  wait  for  miracu¬ 
lous  manifestations,  to  excite  us  to  do  what  we  may  for 
its  universal  extension  ?  The  only  miracle,  indeed,  which 
is  necessary  for  our  success,  in  the  enterprise  is,  that  they 
who  call  themselves  Christians,  should  strongly  feel  the 
power  and  worth  of  the  religion  of  Christ  ;  and,  that 
their  hearts  should  be  drawn  out  in  the  exercise  of  that 
benevolence,  without  which,  I  know  not  on  what  ground 
we  can  claim  to  be  his  disciples.  I  will  even  proceed  a 
step  further,  and  ask,  if  we  have  not  some  advantages  for 
the  propagation  of  our  religion,  which  the  apostles  had 
not  ?  With  them,  Christianity  was  an  experiment  that 
was  yet  to  be  tried.  But  we  have  the  evidence  of  its 


28  ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE  182 

truth  and  excellence,  which  is  derived  from  the  admira¬ 
ble  institutions  that  have  grown  out  of  it  ;  and  which  as 
much  belong  to  it,  and  depend  upon  it,  as  the  branches  of 
a  vine  belong  to,  and  depend  upon,  the  stock  to  which 
they  are  attached.  We  can  shew,  and  prove,  that  in  the 
degree  to  which  it  has  been  left  to  itself,  unfettered  by 
civil  and  ecclesiastical  restrictions,  it  has  triumphed 
over  the  strongest  passions,  and  the  most  inveterate 
prejudices  and  customs  ;  and  has  repressed  abuses  and 
crimes,  which  have  been  established  and  sanctioned  by 
every  other  religion.  By  the  knowledge,  also,  which  it 

has  imparted  of  mutual  rights  and  duties,  it  has  modified, 

« 

and,  we  hesitate  not  to  say,  has  improved  civil  govern¬ 
ment,  and  public  morals,  to  an  extent  to  which  no  other 
than  Christian  principles  could  have  advanced  them. 
Who  that  has  thoroughly  studied  the  history  of  our  own 
country,  has  a  doubt  whether  we  owe  our  peculiar  civil 
institutions  to  Christianity  ?*  Nor  may  we  alone  defend 
our  religion,  and  recommend  it,  by  these  most  obvious 
and  grand  results  of  it.  The  countless  associations  which 
it  has  originated,  for  all  the  conceivable  purposes  of  be¬ 
nevolence  ;  the  systems  of  education,  that  are  essentially 
Christian,  which  are  forming  and  advancing  throughout 
Christendom  ;  the  new  responsibleness  which  it  devolves 
upon  woman,  and  the  new  rank  which  it  has  given  to 
her  ;  the  emancipation  which  it  has  effected  of  the  poor, 
from  the  entailed  ignorance,  degradation  and  debasement, 
in  which  every  other  religion  finds,  and  leaves  them  ;  its 

'*  I  would  refer  the  reader,  who  has  not  much  time  for  inquiry 
on  this  subject,  to  the  very  able  sermon,  preached  before  the  Le¬ 
gislature  of  the  Commonwealth,  on  the  31st  of  May,  by  the  Rey\ 
Mr  Dewev,  of  New  Bedford 


183  MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE.  29 

efforts,  and  its  success,  in  the  work  of  abolishing  slavery  ; 
and  its  influence  on  the  domestic  relations,  and  on  domes¬ 
tic  happiness  ; — these  are  effects  of  our  religion,  which, 
in  proportion  as  they  are  comprehended,  and  are  seen  in 
their  true  character  by  the  intelligent  of  other  religions, 
will  do  much,  and  cannot  fail  to  do  much,  lor  its  exten¬ 
sion*.  From  what  it  has  done,  had  as  Christendom  is, 
we  can  demonstrate  its  adaptation  to  the  condition,  and 
to  the  wants  of  all  men,  and  its  tendency  to  an  indefinite 
improvement  of  the  human  mind  and  character. 


*  u  Before  going  to  war,  it  is  right  to  count  the  cost  ;  and  in  the 
conflict  which  Christians  have  begun  to  wage  for  the  moral  sub¬ 
jugation  of  the  world,  it  is  proper  to  estimate  whether,  with  their 
few  and  scattered  numbers,  they  can  cope  with  the  myriads  of 
their  opponents.  Certainly  at  no  former  period  had  they  such 
means,  and  such  promising  success,  as  we  now  have.  All  the 
ancient  1  war  weapons’  of  victory,  excepting  miracles,  are  at 
their  disposal ;  and  new  instruments  of  still  greater  potency,  which 
the  science  of  the  latter  days  has  been  accumulating  for  a  univer¬ 
sal  revolution  of  the  mind,  are  ready  to  be  brought  into  action, 
upon  a  scale  of  overpowering  magnitude.  Even  the  single  re¬ 
source  which  is  lost,  may  yet  be  recompensed  by  equivalents; 
and  a  substitute,  in  many  respects,  may  be  found  for  mira¬ 
cles.  The  first  effect  of  a  miracle  is,  to  arouse  the  atten¬ 
tion,  and  to  overawe  opposing  prejudices.  The  second,  to  afford 
a  proof  of  the  truth  of  the  religion,  of  which  it  is  a  sealing  accom¬ 
paniment.  The  first  object  may  be  gained  by  experimental  phi¬ 
losophy.  And  as  to  the  second,  the  difference  in  the  proof  of  our 
religion,  to  any  to  whom  it  shall  now  be  proposed,  from  its  mira¬ 
cles,  lies  rather  in  the  fact,  that  this  proof  is  at  the  present  day 
more  circuitous,  than  that  it  is  less  conclusive,  than  it  was  in  the  days 
of  the  apostles.  Besides,  the  turning  point  of  receiving  Christianity, 
even  in  the  apostolic  age,  consisted  less  in  having  seen  the  mira¬ 
cles,  than  in  seeing  their  own  need  of  a  revelation,  and  its  adapta- 
VOL.  i.  3* 


30 


ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE 


184 


The  third,  and  last  element,  or  principle,  of  that  spirit, 
which  feels  a  paramount  obligation  to  do  all  that  it  may 
for  the  diffusion  of  our  religion,  is  the  feeling,  that  God. 
in  dispensing  signal  blessings  to  men,  designs  that  they 
whom  he  so  distinguishes,  shall  be  his  agents  in  giving 
the  widest  possible  extension  to  these  blessings.  In 
other  wrords,  God  designs  that  man  shall  be  his  instrument , 
for  imparting  the  blessings  of  Christianity  to  man;  and  he 
who  has  the  means,  and  the  opportunities,  thus  to  benefit 

his  fellow  creatures,  will  be  held  responsible  at  the  bar 

% 

lion  to  the  present  circumstances  of  humanity.  Moral  influence 
has  always  prevailed  more  than  supernatural  influence.  The  gen¬ 
eration  that  literally  lived  on  miracles,  and  had  i  angels’  food’  for 
their  daily  bread,  perished  from  unbelief  in  the  desert;  whilst  their 
children,  brought  up  in  the  loneliness  of  the  wilderness,  far  from 
the  corruptions  of  the  surrounding  nations,  were  even  eminent  to 
after  times,  as  an  example  of  1  a  right  godly  nation.’  ” 

Hints  on  Missions,  by  James  Douglas,  Esq.  pp.  22 — 24.  This  is 
a  sensible  little  book  ;  and  far  better  worth  reading,  than  have  been 
many  books  upon  the  subject  of  missions,  which  have  been,  and 
are,  more  popular. 

A  friend  suggests  to  me  the  expediency  of  remarking  here,  that 
the  effect  of  miracles,  as  a  means  of  missionary  success,  has  been 
overrated  ;  for  the  apostles  seem  to  have  resorted  to  them  only  in¬ 
cidentally  ;  and  Rammohun  Roy  says,  they  are  not  of  the  value 
in  the  East,  which  many  Christians  are  accustomed  to  ascribe  to 
them.  It  is  indeed  well  known,  that  the  Hindoos  boast  of  far 
more  wonderful  miracles,  than  are  related  by  the  Evangelists;  and 
though  these  reputed  miracles  are  as  wonderful  absurdities,  as  were 
ever  imposed  upon  human  credulity,  they  must,  and  will  dispose 
unconverted  natives  of  India,  to  allow  but  little  importance  to 
the  miracles  of  our  religion.  But  converts  to  Christianity,  in  that 
country,  will  obtain  new  sentiments  of  the  miracles  of  Hindooism  ; 
and  then  also  will  they  see,  in  the  miracles  of  the  gospel  much  to 
confirm  their  faith,  that  it  is,  what  it  claims  to  be,  a  dispensation 
from  God. 


105 


MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE. 


31 


of  heaven,  for  the  execution  of  the  work  which  God 
thus  requires  of  him. 

That  man  should  sympathize  with  man,  that  he  should 
feel  an  interest,  deep  and  strong,  in  the  condition  of  his 
feliow-men  ;  and,  especially,  that  we  should  be  affected, 
and  strongly  affected,  by  the  wants  and  sufferings,  not 
alone  of  those  around  us,  but  of  our  whole  race,  I  fear 
not  to  say  is  as  much  a  law  of  our  nature,  as  it  is  that  we 
should  feel  a  deep  and  strong  interest  in  those,  who  are 
immediately  connected  with  us,  in  the  nearest  rela¬ 
tions  of  life  ;  or,  as  it  is,  that  we  should  love  ourselves. 
This  feeling  may  be,  and  it  is,  kept  down  within  us,  by  the 
ascendant  influence,  which  is  obtained  in  our  hearts  by 
narrow,  local  and  selfish  interests.  It  is  a  feeling,  which 
many  of  the  circumstances  in  our  early  education  are  suit¬ 
ed  to  repress,  and  to  enfeeble  in  us  ;  and  w^hich  our  daily 
habits  of  business  and  of  pleasure,  as  mere  men  of  the 
world,  may  be  counteracting,  and  restraining,  and  dead¬ 
ening  within  us.  But  there  are  occasions  in  the  life  of 
every  one,  whose  heart  has  not  been  shut  up  by  bands  of 
brass,  or  iron,  or  adamant,  when  this  feeling,  chilled  and 
dead  as  it  may  have  seemed  to  be,  is  warmed  into  life, 
and  puts  forth  its  strength,  and  breaks  from  its  enclo¬ 
sures,  and  speaks  in  a  language  not  to  be  misunderstood  ; 
at  once  vindicating  our  nature  from  the  charge,  that, 

11  There  is  no  flesh  in  man's  obdurate  heart, 

“  It  does  not  feel  for  man 

and  demonstrating  that  it  is  the  purpose  of  God,  that 
man  shall  be  his  instrument  for  the  communication  of  all 
possible  blessings  to  man.  I  need  not  refer  you  to  the 
effects,  which  are  produced  within  us,  while  w^e  are  read- 


32 


ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE 


186 


mg  narratives  of  real,  or  of  imaginary  scenes  and  circum¬ 
stances  of  distress.  These  effects  alone  demonstrate, 
not  only  that  God  has  made  us  for  one  another,  but  that, 
in  an  important  sense,  he  has  made  each  one  of  us  for 
the  whole  of  our  species.  Who,  I  ask,  dwells  upon 
the  pages  of  history,  merely  that  he  may  possess  its  facts  ; 
or  simply  for  the  mere  personal  uses  which  he  may  make 
of  them  ?  Or  who  that  knows  the  blessings  of  civil 
rights,  and  of  civil  liberty,  has  not  felt  all  his  indignation 
awakened  against  the  despot,  that  has  trampled  upon 
these  rights,  even  though  ages  have  revolved,  since  the 
tyrant  and  the  tyranny  have  passed  away?  And  who  has 
not  felt  a  joy,  an  exultation,  to  be  surpassed  only  by  that 
of  an  emancipated  people,  when  the  tyrant  has  fallen, 
and  when  at  least  one  well  directed  effort  has  been  made 
in  the  cause  of  human  freedom  ?  Who,  as  he  has  pon¬ 
dered  on  the  pages  of  history,  has  not  gone  forth  with 
the  armies,  over  whose  dust  centuries  have  revolved, 
and  joined  the  standard  of  the  leader  whom  he  has 
chosen,  and  fought  for  the  rights  of  man  ;  rejoicing,  or  suf¬ 
fering,  as  they  were  obtained,  or  lost ;  filled  with  the  inte¬ 
rests,  the  hopes,  the  fears  of  the  distant  age,  to  which  his 
existence  for  the  hour  has  been  transferred  ;  and  prepar¬ 
ed  for  all  the  efforts  and  sacrifices  of  the  cause  which  he 
has  espoused,  and  wThich  he  believes  to  be  the  cause  of 
truth,  and  right,  and  human  happiness  ?  Who  has  read 
of  the  wise,  intrepid,  persevering,  disinterested  benefac¬ 
tors  of  their  age, — be  that  age  as  distant  from  us  as  it 
may, — and  has  not  felt  that  they  were  the  glory  of  our 
race  ?  Who  has  not  sympathized  with  them  in  their  pur¬ 
poses,  shared  their  toils,  triumphed  in  their  successes. 


187 


MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE. 


33 


and  lamented  their  defeats  ?  Who  has  not  felt,  when 
under  the  influence  of  their  examples,  the  true  greatness 
and  dignity  of  an  heroic,  self-denying,  upright,  and  be¬ 
nevolent  spirit  ;  struggling  against  the  difficulties  that 
opposed  it  ;  sacrificing  its  ease,  its  security,  its  peace,  and 
all  its  immediate  interests,  for  the  advancement  of  the 
condition  and  happiness  of  others  ;  and  who  has  not  felt 
himself  to  be  raised  in  the  scale  of  being,  by  the  conscious¬ 
ness  that  he  is  united,  by  the  bond  of  a  common  nature, 
wfith  all  this  virtue,  this  greatness,  this  excellence  ?  Yes, 
it  is  not  less  a  law  of  our  nature,  that  we  should  go  out  of 
ourselves,  that  we  should  feel  a  strong  interest  in  others, 
and  not  only  in  the  wants  and  the  happiness  of  our  fami¬ 
ly,  our  neighborhood,  our  country  and  our  age,  but  in 
those  too  of  men  in  every  country,  and  in  all  time,  than 
it  is  that  we  should  love  ourselves.  I  say  not,  that  one 
principle  is  as  strong,  and  steady,  and  active  at  all  times, 
or  that  it  is  as  generally  manifested  in  human  conduct,  as 
is  the  other.  It  is  not.  In  many  it  is  bound  in  the 
chains  of  a  sordid  avarice.  In  many,  it  is  kept  in  sub¬ 
jection  by  a  miserable  ambition,  which  values  nothing, 
but  as  it  conduces  to  personal  distinction.  And  in  many, 
it  lies  buried  under  heaps  of  the  rubbish  of  cares  and 
interests,  of  appetites  and  propensities,  of  prejudices  and 
passions,  not  one  of  which  has  an  object  beyond  the  in¬ 
dividual,  to  whom  they  are  the  chief,  and  perhaps  the 
only  good  of  life.  But  the  principle  of  sympathy, — of 
sympathy,  I  mean,  with  the  cause  of  human  nature,  of 
human  good  and  happiness, — dead  and  buried  as  it  some¬ 
times  seems  to  be,  does  also  sometimes  rise,  and  mani¬ 
fest  itself ;  and,  with  an  electric  influence,  at  once  ani- 


34 


OX  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE 


188 


mate,  and  give  new  vigor,  to  thousands,  and  millions. 
How  has  the  thril  of  its  power  been  felt,  in  the  cause  of 
the  abolition  of  the  slave  trade  ?  How  was  it  felt,  when 
the  first  struggles  of  the  Greeks  for  freedom  were  pub¬ 
lished  throughout  Christendom?  How  was  it  felt,  when 
it  was  thought  that  the  sun  of  liberty  had  broken  through 
the  clouds,  which,  for  centuries,  had  covered  Spain ; 
and  that  a  new  day  was  about  to  open  upon  that  dark 
spot  of  the  earth  ?  And  how  was  it  felt,  when  we  were 
assured  that  one  and  another  of  the  oppressed  nations  of 
South  America  had  conquered,  had  triumphed,  had  se¬ 
cured  a  government  of  its  choice,  a  constitution,  equal 
laws,  independence  ?  And  who,  that  has  tasted  the 
blessings,  and  that  knows  the  happiness  of  civil  liberty, 
does  not  desire,  and  will  not  pray,  that  it  maybe  univer¬ 
sal  ?  Who  would  not  rejoice  to  hear,  that  despotism  is 
every  where  at  an  end  1  Who  would  not  contribute  what 
he  can,  to  the  cause  of  the  universal  emancipation  of 
our  race,  from  the  injustice  and  cruelty,  the  degradation 
and  misery,  of  civil  tyranny  1 — And  is  civil  freedom,  or 
are  civil  rights  and  privileges,  so  great  a  boon,  that, 
merely  to  name  them,  is  to  kindle  desire  in  every  heart, 
that  they  may  be  universal  1  And  is  the  sympathy  that 
is  thus  excited,  one  of  the  provisions  of  God,  for  the 
advancement  of  the  great  cause  of  civil  liberty  through¬ 
out  the  world  1  What,  then,  should  be  our  sympathy  in 
the  cause  of  religion  ;  of  religious  liberty  ;  of  the  rescue 
of  man  from  the  slavery  of  a  superstition,  a  thousand  times 
more  debasing  than  is  any  civil  bondage  ;  in  the  cause 
of  bringing  men  to  the  liberty,  the  exaltation  of  condi¬ 
tion,  and  the  happiness,  of  the  sons  of  God  ? 


189 


MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE. 


35 


Christians,  let  us  feel  the  value  of  our  privileges,  and 
the  greatness  of  our  responsibility  for  them.  God  has 
committed  them  to  us  for  our  own  improvement,  and  as 
means  of  our  own  salvation.  But  is  it  not  also  his  will, 
that  we  should  be  his  instruments  for  the  improvement, 
and  the  salvation,  of  our  fellow-men  1  How,  think  you, 
is  our  religion  to  be  extended  through  the  world,  but  by 
the  Christian  earnestness,  and  the  Christian  benevolence 
of  those,  who  feel  its  reality,  its  worth  and  its  power  ; 
and  the  greatness  of  the  blessings  which  it  will  impart 
to  those  who  receive  it  ?  We  believe,  indeed,  that  it  ever 
has  been,  that  it  is,  and  that  it  will  be,  in  the  care  of 
him,  who  sent  his  Son  to  be  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 
But  our  Lord  committed  it  to  the  immediate  charge  of 
his  apostles  ;  and  they  have  left  it — to  those  who  shall  be¬ 
lieve  in  it.  God  will  honor  us  as  his  agents,  in  the  work 
of  imparting  to  all  the  greatest  of  all  his  blessings.  Is 
proof  of  the  principle  demanded  1  I  will  ask,  why  has  God, 
in  such  diversified  measures,  allotted  to  us  our  talents, 
and  our  capacities  1  Why  has  he  appointed  such  a  diver¬ 
sity  in  the  condition  of  men  1  Why  has  he  connected  us  in 
bonds  of  families,  of  neighborhoods,  and  of  communi¬ 
ties  1  And  why  has  he  subjected  all  to  so  many  weak¬ 
nesses,  and  exposures,  and  wants,  and  sufferings  1  No 
one  will  doubt,  whether  one  purpose  of  these  ordina¬ 
tions  of  his  providence  is,  the  accomplishment,  by  the 
instrumentality  of  man,  of  his  designs  of  benevolence 
towards  man.'  And  is  it  less  clearly  God’s  design,  that 
we  should  extend,  as  far  as  we  may,  the  bread  of  life, 
and  the  waters  of  life,  to  those  who  are  suffering  from 
the  want  of  them,  than  it  is  that  we  should  give  of  our 
bread  to  the  hungry,  or  relieve  the  distress  which  we 


36 


ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE 


190 


have  the  means  and  opportunity  of  relieving  1  Fellow- 
christians,  let  us  feel  that  we  are  to  give  account  to  God, 
for  the  use  which  we  make  of  our  powers  of  mind  and 
ot  body,  of  our  property,  of  our  influence,  and  of  every 
means  which  wre  have  of  being  good,  by  doing  good.  And 
if,  where  much  has  been  given,  much  will  be  required, 
will  not  much  be  demanded  from  us,  and  mav  not  much 
be  most  justly  demanded,  in  return  for  the  most  precious 
of  God's  gifts  to  us,  the  religion  of  his  Son  1  Admit 
that  the  heathens  are  safe,  as  far  as  that  idolatry  is  con¬ 
cerned,  the  evil  of  which  they  know  not.  The  great- 
question  to  engage  our  attention  is,  are  we  safe,  while 
we  possess  the  means  of  their  instruction,  their  reforma¬ 
tion,  and  their  best  happiness,  and  yet  fail  to  employ 
them  to  the  purposes,  for  which  God  has  entrusted  us 
with  them  1  Are  we  safe,  if  this  talent  shall  be  kept  by 
us,  laid  up  in  a  napkin  1  Can  we  render  our  account 
with  joy  at  the  bar  of  heaven,  if,  having  freely  received 
this  unspeakable  gift,  we  have  cared  nothing  for  the  con¬ 
dition  of  those  who  have  it  not  ;  and  have  done  nothing, 
that  they  may  be  partakers  with  us  of  the  salvation, 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus,  with  everlasting  glory  1 

Suffer  me  here  to  sav,  that  I  fear  we  do  not  think 
enough  of  the  importance  of  prayer  in  this,  as  well  as  in 

all  our  great  and  important  enterprises.  God  wills  that 

/ 

religious  truth,  like  other  truth,  should  be  extended  by 
human  agency.  But  not  by  an  independent  agency  of 
man.  We  are,  in  this  great  concern,  to  “  be  workers  to¬ 
gether  with  God  and  while  our  wills,  and  affections, 
and  labors,  are  to  be  given  to  the  service,  we  are  “  in  all 
our  ways  to  acknowledge  Him,  that  he  may  direct  our 
steps.”  Before  our  Lord  elected  his  apostles,  he  was  all 


191 


MISSIONARY  ENTERPRISE. 


37 


night  in  prayer  to  God  ;  and  we  see  his  apostles  relying 
not  more  on  their  miraculous  powers,  than  on  their 
prayers,  for  the  cooperation  of  God  in  their  work.  Let  us 
not,  then,  indulge  narrow  views  of  our  relation  to  God  ; 
of  the  intimacy  of  the  communion  which  we  may  hold 
with  him  ;  and  of  the  influence  wThich  may  be  exerted 
by  God  upon  us,  and  by  God,  in  cooperation  with  us,  in 
perfect  consistency  with  our  own  moral  freedom.  Let 
us,  more  than  we  have  done,  realise  what  we  ask  of  God, 
when  we  pray,  “  may  thy  kingdom  come,  and  thy  will  be 
done  on  earth,  as  it  is  done  in  heaven!” 

I  address  this  letter,  gentlemen,  through  you  to  the 
Unitarians  of  our  country ;  and,  as  a  Unitarian,  with  de¬ 
vout  gratitude  and  joy  I  hail  the  beginning  of  a  new  era, 
in  the  recent,  and,  I  hope,  unequivocal  demonstration,  of 
a  foreign  missionary  spirit  among  us.  Scarcely  less  dis¬ 
tinct,  indeed,  is  the  voice  from  India  to  us,  than  was  that 
to  Paul,  “come  over  to  Macedonia  and  help  us.”  A 
Unitarian  society  in  Calcutta,  composed  as  well  of  natives 
as  of  foreigners,  who  have  themselves  contributed  largely 
to  the  work,  solicit  our  assistance  in  establishing  there  a 
perpetual  Unitarian  mission.  Native  gentlemen  of  In¬ 
dia  have  contributed  largely  to  the  cause  of  establish¬ 
ing  Christian  worship,  upon  Unitarian  principles,  in  their 
country  ;  and  they,  with  their  English  associates,  are 
earnestly  requesting  the.  aid  of  Unitarians  in  England  and 
America,  for  the  accomplishment  of  their  object.  And 
can  there  be  a  question,  in  this  case,  concerning  our 
duty  1  I  leave  it  with  every  man’s  conscience,  in  the 
sight  of  God.* 

§ 

*  For  information  on  this  subject,  see  the  Christian  Examiner  for 

VOL.  i.  4 


/ 


38  ON  THE  PRINCIPLES  OF  THE  192 

We  live  in  a  time,  peculiarly  favorable  to  every  at¬ 
tempt  that  can  be  made  for  human  improvement  and 
happiness.  Nor  is  it  alone  in  those  departments,  to 
which  science,  with  her  new  and  wonderful  discoveries, 
has  extended  her  influence,  that  we  find  a  new  spirit  of 
excitement,  and  of  enterprise.  The  fact,  that  the  long 
known  mechanic  powers  are,  of  late,  found  to  possess  ca¬ 
pacities,  very  far  beyond  all  the  uses  to  which  they  had 
been  applied  ;  and  the  fact  too,  not  less  interesting  and 
important,  of  the  discovery  of  a  new  mechanical  agent, 
which  may  be  applied  alike  to  works  the  most  simple, 
and  the  most  complex  ;  to  the  greatest  and  grandest  ope¬ 
rations,  and  to  those  which  are  most  minute  ;  has  given 
an  impulse  to  inquiry,  and  to  the  spirit  of  discovery,  and 
effort,  in  every  department  of  human  knowledge.  The 
idea  is  awakened,  and  is  abroad,  that  nothing  is  to  be 
deemed  impracticable,  till  it  has  been  fairly  tried  ;  and 
that  no  exertion  for  an  object  is  to  be  relaxed,  while 
any  means  remain,  which  may  be  employed  for  its  attain¬ 
ment.  It  is  felt,  that  there  may  be  new  applications  of 
the  known  capacities  of  human  nature,  not  yet  hinted  at 
in  any  of  our  systems  of  mental  philosophy  ;  and  even 
that  new  moral  agents  may  be  discovered,  which  maybe 
employed  to  accomplish  in  the  moral  world,  changes  and 
improvements,  as  great  as  have  been  extended  to  the 
various  departments  of  art,  by  the  power  of  a  new  physic¬ 
al  agent.  In  Europe,  and  in  our  own  country,  great  are 
the  changes  that  have  been  accomplished,  within  the  last 
fifty  years,  by  the  systems  of  education,  which  have  been 
devised  and  adopted,  and  which  are  widely  extending  ; 

March  and  April,  1826;  and  Professor  Ware’s  address,  delivered 
before  the  Berry  Street  conference,  on  the  31st  May. 


193 


MISSIONARY  ENTERFRISE. 


39 


by  the  multiplication  of  books,  which  grows  with  the 
multiplication  of  readers  ;  by  the  new  views  which  have 
been  opened,  and  are  every  where  obtaining  increased 
and  increasing  attention  ;  of  religious  liberty,  and  of  re¬ 
ligious  rights  ;  and  which  are  awakening  new  convictions, 
and  new  interests,  and  are  giving  a  new  impulse  to 
thought  and  action.  Great  are  the  changes  of  opinion, 
which  are  spreading,  and  which  will  continue  to  spread, 
through  the  nations,  of  the  nature  and  ends  of  civil  go¬ 
vernment  ;  of  the  rights  of  the  ruled  and  of  the  duty 
and  accountableness  of  rulers.  And,  I  am  happy  to  say, 
that,  compared  with  any  former  time  since  the  days  of 
the  Apostles,  great,  throughout  Christendom,  is  the  re¬ 
volution  that  has  been  produced  in  opinion  and  in  feel¬ 
ing,  concerning  the  relation  of  man  to  man  ;  and  concern¬ 
ing  our  capacity,  and  obligation,  to  extend  to  others  the 
blessings,  with  which  God  in  his  mercy  has  distinguished 
us,  in  the  religion  which  he  has  given  us  by  his  Son, 
But  the  principle  which,  more  than  any  other,  has  given 
life,  and  efficiency,  to  our  systems  of  education,  which 
has  peculiarly  multiplied  and  extended  books,  and  which 
has  spread  wfidely  the  new  sentiments,  that  have  obtained 
of  religious  liberty,  and  of  religious  rights  ;  the  princi¬ 
ples,  which  has  given  diffusion  to  the  new  views  which 
are  received  of  the  nature  and  ends  of  civil  government, 
and  which  has  attempted,  and  done,  what  has  never  be¬ 
fore  been  done,  for  the  universal  extension  of  our  reli¬ 
gion,  is,  the  principle  of  voluntary  association .  And  if 
we  may  infer  what  it  may  do,  from  what  it  has  done, 
where  shall  we  fix  the  limits  of  its  pow7er,  and  of  its  con¬ 
sequences  ?  Look  alone  to  the  Bible  societies,  the  anti- 
slavery  societies,  the  peace  societies,  and  the  religious 


40 


ON  THE  PRINCIPLES,  &LC. 


194 


missionary  societies  of  England  and  of  America,  and  say, 
what  is  to  arrest  their  progress,  and  their  effects  ?  Opin¬ 
ion  has  been  called  the  lever,  by  which  society  is  now 
moved,  and  its  vast  operations  are  directed,  and  con- 
troled.  But  I  should  rather  call  it  the  ground  on  which 
the  lever  is  fixed,  by  which  the  world  is  moved.  The 
mighty  agent,  by  which  those  changes  have  been  accom¬ 
plished,  which  are  every  day  exciting  new  admiration, 
and  new  expectations  concerning  the  moral  and  the  po¬ 
litical  condition  of  the  world,  is,  the  power  of  voluntary 
association.  It  is  a  power,  which,  like  knowledge,  and 
like  wealth,  may  be  made  as  conducive  to  evil  as  to 
good.  But  let  all  the  virtuous  and  the  wise  feel  its  im¬ 
portance,  and  faithfully  avail  themselves  of  it,  and  em¬ 
ploy  it  with  the  calm,  and  steady,  and  persevering  zeal 
which  should  characterise  Christians  ;  and,  with  God’s 
blessing  on  the  work,  it  will  not  long  be  doubtful  to  any 
mind,  whether  indeed  the  enterprise  be  feasible,  of  the 
conversion  of  the  world. 

I  will  only  add  my  hearty  good  wishes  for  the  prosper¬ 
ity  of  your  association  ;  and  my  hope  that,  while  we  are 
aiming  at  the  advancement  of  our  religion  at  home ,  we 
may  all  be  excited  to  do  what  we  can,  to  bring  “  every 
knee  to  bow  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  and  every  tongue  to 
confess  him  to  be  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father.5' 

With  great  respect  and  affection, 

I  am,  truly  yours, 

Joseph  Tuckerman. 

Chelsea ,  June  Sth,  1826. 


Errata, — p.  10,  line  14th,  for  that ,  read  than.  Same  page,  line 
25th,  after  and ,  read  explicit . 


No.  12. 


A 

DIALOGUE 


OX 


PROVIDENCE,  FAITH,  AND  PRAYER. 


PRINTED  FOR  THE 


American  sanitarian  Association. 


BOSTON, 

BOWLES  AND  DEARBORN,  72  WASHINGTON  STREET. 

1827. 


Price  4  Cents. 


PROVIDENCE,  FAITH,  AND  PRAYER. 


Vindicate  the  ways  of  God  to  man. - pope. 

Mr  and  Mrs  Henderson  had  lately  buried  their  eldest 
daughter,  a  lovely  girl  of  eighteen.  Their  feelings  on  this 
occasion  were  such  as  affectionate  parents  usually  experi¬ 
ence  when  thus  severely  afflicted.  They  were  amiable 
people,  and  had  lived  together  very  happily  twenty  years. 
They  had  brought  up  a  family  of  four  children,  and  had 
found  as  much  to  love  and  approve  in  them  as  they  could 
reasonably  hope.  Living  in  the  middle  ranks  of  society, 
as  far  removed  from  degradation  on  one  side,  as  from 
reigning  in  the  circles  of  fashion  on  the  other,  they  had 
escaped,  perhaps,  the  severest  trials  of  virtue.  They  had 
passed  along  so  far  in  life,  with  no  other  notoriety,  than 
that  of  being  spoken  of  among  the  circumscribed  number 
of  friends,  whom  they  had  attached  to  themselves,  as  an 
inoffensive,  kind-hearted,  unassuming  couple,  with  a  fam¬ 
ily  of  orderly  and  good  children,  the  eldest  of  whom,  now 
lately  deceased,  was  very  lovely  in  person  and  mind. 
Their  two  sons,  one  sixteen,  and  the  other  fourteen  years 
old,  were  both  apprenticed  to  substantial  good  men  in  the 
city  of  Boston,  and  gave  reason  to  expect  that  they  would 


4 


PROVIDENCE,  FAITH,  AND  PRAYER. 


4 


satisfy  the  affectionate  and  natural  hopes  of  fond  and  ra¬ 
tional  parents.  Their  youngest  child,  a  daughter  of  eleven 
years,  was  still  at  school.  She  had  been  called  home  by 
the  sickness  of  her  sister,  and  with  her  parents  and  broth¬ 
ers,  had  attended  and  watched  the  declining  young  crea¬ 
ture,  till  she  sunk  under  the  pressure  of  her  disease,  and 
wras  relieved  by  death  from  all  mortal  sufferings.  Mr  and 
Mrs  Henderson  at  this  time  experienced  feelings,  not  un¬ 
usual  on  such  occasions.  At  first  their  bodily  fatigue,  then 
the  excitement  of  numerous  visits  of  condolence,  the  sud¬ 
den  relaxation  from  all  personal  and  mental  exertion,  and 
the  overpowering  sense  of  their  heavy  loss,  all  combined  to 
render  their  emotions  agonizing.  For  a  time  they  gave 
themselves  up,  without  restraint,  to  the  full  indulgence  of 
their  grief.  But  tliey  were  sober,  temperate  people,  and 

under  the  habitual  restraints  of  reason  and  religion. 

0  { 

Their  minister  also  was  kind  and  sympathising.  He  made 

them  frequent  visits,  and  offered  them  the  consolations 
suggested  by  his  nature,  and  his  office.  The  hopes  of  the 
Christian  faith,  and  the  support  of  philosophy,  which  he 
said  admirably  harmonized  with  the  principles  of  religion, 
were  pointed  out ;  and  he  endeavored  to  convince  them  of 
the  duty  and  the  wisdom  of  restraining  grief,  and  subduing 
all  spirit  of  complaint.  They  had  indeed  no  disposition 
to  murmur  at  the  dispensations  of  Providence,  and  as¬ 
sured  their  friends  they  would  not,  if  it  were  in  their 
power,  call  back  their  beloved  child  from  the  happy  state 
to  which  they  believed  her  removed,  and  again  involve 

her  in  the  trials  and  troubles  of  life.  “  And  yet,”  said 

% 

Mr  Henderson,  “  it  is  a  dark  and  mysterious  dispensation. 
I  cannot  see  the  hand  of  a  merciful  God  in  it,  though  I 
will  not  say  I  doubt  of  God’s  mercy  in  any  thing.” 

They  were  alone  when  Mr  Henderson  made  this  ob~ 


o 


PROVIDENCE,  FAITH,  and  prayer. 


o 


servation  to  his  wife.  They  had  been  conversing  on  the 
promising  qualities  of  the  dear  girl  they  had  buried ;  and 
the  contemplation  of  the  happiness  they  had  hoped  to  en¬ 
joy  in  her  mature  years  seemed  to  aggravate  their  sense 
of  her  loss  and  renew  their  grief  for  this  heavy  bereave¬ 
ment.  Mr  Henderson,  particularly,  seemed  to  find  it 
difficult  to  reconcile  his  mind  entirely  to  his  trouble.  He 
had  often  manifested  this  state  of  feeling,  and  his  wfife 
this  evening  ventured  to  remark  upon  it. 

“  Your  faith  appears  to  me  to  be  weaker  than  mine/' 
said  she,  in  reply  to  her  husband’s  observation.  “  It 
seems  to  me  that,  respecting  those  dispensations  which  are 
involved  in  the  clouds  and  darkness  that  are  around  the 
throne  of  God,  you  have  doubts  of  his  mercy ;  though  you 
are  not  willing  to  acknowledge  your  doubts.” 

“  Can  you  always  perceive  the  benevolence  of  God,  in 
every  event  of  life  that  takes  place  ?  ”  asked  Mr  Hender¬ 
son. 

“  No  my  dear,”  replied  his  wife,  “I  do  not  pretend 
to  be  so  much  clearer  sighted  than  my  neighbors ;  but 
my  not  being  able  to  perceive  it,  does  not  cause  any 
doubts  to  arise  in  my  mind  respecting  the  existence  of 
that  benevolence.” 

“  Well,  I  said  I  did  not  doubt  the  mercy  of  God,”  in¬ 
terrupted  Mr  Henderson,  “  but  that  I  could  not  see  his 
mercy  in  all  his  providences.  I  w  ish  I  could  see  it,  in  the 
case  of  our  dear  Elizabeth’s  death.  I  must  say  it  would  be 
a  great  comfort  to  me.” 

“  But  there  is  certainly  a  difference  in  our  state  of 
mind,”  observed  Mrs  H.  and  it  seems  to  me  that  you  do 
feel  doubts  and  painful  ones;  while,  at  the  same  time, 
your  rational  convictions  forbid  you  to  doubt.  I  on  the 

VOL.  II.  1* 


6  PROVIDENCE,  FAITH,  AND  PRAYER.  6 

contrary  feel  no  doubts  whatever  ;  and  therefore  my  mind 
is  not  painfully  disturbed,  as  yours  is.” 

“I  do  not  exactly  comprehend  what  you  say,”  said 
her  husband.  “  If  you  do  not  feel  any  doubts  whatever, 
and  yet  you  cannot  see  any  plainer  than  I  can  the  mercy 
of  God,  how  do  you  reconcile  these  two  opposing  states 
of  mind  ?  There  seems  some  contradiction  in  this.” 

“  I  will  endeavor  to  explain  what  I  mean  ”  replied  Mrs 
Henderson.  “  I  am  deeply  convinced  that,  as  a  finite  be¬ 
ing,  it  is  quite  impossible  for  me  to  comprehend  and  con¬ 
tain  within  my  mind,  the  views,  purposes,  and  plans  of 
infinite  mind.  I  reason  from  analogy.  I  know  that  any 
thing  which  is  seen  in  part,  any  circumstance  which  is 
but  partly  understood,  any  action,  the  motive  of  which  is 
hidden,  must  appear  not  only  imperfect,  but  often  distorted 
and  hideous,  when  the  whole,  if  seen,  would  display  per¬ 
fect  proportion.  The  secret  intention  would  show  good¬ 
ness  and  integrity.  In  the  same  way,  I  think  it  is  owing  to 
our  seeing  only  a  part  of  God's  design,  that  we  cannot  in 
every  event  perceive  beauty,  consistency,  and  benevolence. 
Having  satisfied  myself  by  the  clearest  reasoning  that 
God  is  infinite  mind,  and  that  mind  infinitely  good ; 
whenever  any  event  or  course  of  events  appears  to  speak 
a  different  character,  instead  of  doubts  arising  as  to  the 
mercy  of  God,  I  immediately  advert  to  my  own  small 
and  imperfect  powers,  which  are  incapable  of  ever  pene¬ 
trating  into  the  mysterious  arrangement  of  events,  and 
which,  seeing  only  the  odds  and  ends  of  things,  cannot 
discern  the  beauty  and  propriety  of  the  whole  design.” 

“  Perhaps  it  is  so,”  said  Mr  Henderson,  “  but  I  confess 
there  is  so  much  to  excite  doubt,  that  it  is  difficult,  at  all 
times,  to  satisfy  the  mind  that  all  things  are  ordered  in 
mercy ;  and  yet,  as  an  abstract  truth,  I  cannot  but  allow, 


PROVIDENCE,  FAITH,  AND  TRAYER. 


7 


that  God  is  a  merciful  being,  infinitely  merciful.  But 
when  we  see  a  lovely  creature,  one  calculated  to  be  use¬ 
ful,  and  to  diffuse  happiness,  as  well  as  to  enjoy  it;  one 
who  has  lived  an  innocent  life,  and  who  constitutes  the 
chief  joy  and  hope  of  virtuous  parents  ;  when  we  see  such 
an  one  snatched  away  from  their  arms,  and  laid  in  the 
dismal  tomb,  cut  off  from  the  innocent  delights  of  the 
world,  and  its  improvements,  while  the  hearts  of  all 
around  are  crushed  by  the  heavy  affliction  ;  when  we  see 
this,  and  then  turn  perhaps  to  our  next  door  neighbor, 
and  find  a  beastly,  intemperate  being,  who  is  a  plague  to 
all  with  whom  he  lives,  and  who  is  incapable  of  either 
virtue  or  happiness  himself,  or  increasing  that  of  others  ; 
and  this  useless,  miserable  wretch  is  left,  while  our  lovely 
child  is  taken  away ;  who  can  reconcile  these  things  with 
that  perfect  benevolence,  that  is  represented  always  to 
will  kindness  and  always  to  be  able  to  bring  to  pass, 
what  it  wills  ?  ” 

“  I  am  sorry  to  hear  you  use  these  terms,  my  dear,”  said 
Mrs  Henderson.  “  I  do  not  like  the  expression, ‘  snatched 
away  ;5  it  seems  to  imply  that  anger,  and  not  benevolence, 
dictated  the  dispensation.  Without  proving  any  thing, 
such  terms  operate  on  the  feelings,  like  argument,  and 
therefore  we  should  avoid  them.  I  do  not  like  ‘  dismal 
tomb  ’  for  the  same  reason.  The  grave  is  represented  as 
the  peaceful  asylum  of  suffering,  where  the  wicked  cease 
from  troubling  and  the  weary  are  at  rest ;  and  by  those 
who  believe  it  only  the  receptacle  of  the  once  loved,  but 
now  resigned  body,  while  the  released  spirit  has  risen  to 
happiness  and  its  Maker,  it  can  only  be  thought  of  with 
pensive  and  holy  pleasure.  The  delights  of  life  you  speak 
of,  and  its  improvements,  what  are  they,  compared  with 
those  wre  believe  our  darling  is  now  enjoying  ?  Our  faith 


8  PROVIDENCE,  FAITH,  AND  PRAYER.  S 

must  be  aided  by  reflection,  observation,  and  experience, 
or  we  may  not  be  able,  in  any  case,  to  reconcile  the  appa¬ 
rent  inconsistences,  that  catch  our  attention  in  the  course 
of  events ;  and  we  cannot,  with  all  our  efforts,  often  be  able 
to  perceive  and  trace  the  love  and  mercy,  which  yet  we 
may  believe  guides  the  superintending  hand.” 

“  What  I  can  see,  I  can  believe,”  said  Mr  Henderson, 
“  but  respecting  what  I  cannot  see,  by  any  view  I  can 
take  of  a  subject,  I  must  still  confess,  I  can  never  be  free 
from  doubts.” 

“  But,”’  said  Mrs  Henderson,  “  if  those  dispensations, 
which,  at  the  time  they  occurred,  appeared  altogether  op¬ 
posed  to  divine  benevolence,  have,  by  the  course  of  sub¬ 
sequent  events,  evidently  displayed  that  principle,  would 
not  such  dispensations  serve  greatly  to  establish  a  reli¬ 
ance  on  God,  and  faith  in  his  goodness,  and  prevent  the 
same  state  of  doubt  from  occurring  to  you  again,  when 
suffering  under  a  painful  affliction  of  the  kind  you  have 
described  ?  ” 

“  I  do  not  know  that  it  would,”  replied  Mr  Henderson. 
“  I  have  in  the  course  of  my  life,  several  times,  been  thus 
situated,  and  have  clearly  perceived  that  a  circumstance, 
which  I  deprecated  as  a  great  misfortune,  at  the  time 
it  occurred,  has  proved  in  the  end  a  blessing,  and  that 
which  I  hailed  as  auspicious,  has  turned  out  a  bad 
business  ;  and  yet  I  have  not  been  so  established  in  the 
faith  you  speak  of,  as  always  to  be  able  to  rely  upon  it.” 

“  But  that  is  because  your  eprly  impressions  were  not 
in  favor  of  an  overruling  Providence,”  said  his  wife. 
I  think  it  of  very  great  importance  that  -children’s  minds 
should  be  early  and  deeply  impressed  with  the  great  and 
fundamental  truths  of  religion  ;  for  I  have  constantly  ob¬ 
served,  that  the  fullest  convictions  of  the  understanding 


9 


PROVIDENCE,  FAITH,  AND  PRAYER. 


9 


in  mature  life,  are  feeble  instruments  in  removing  strong 
early  impressions.  If  our  infant  notions  are  correct,  our 
rational  convictions  in  mature  life  will  confirm  them,  and 
our  faith  will  be  solid  and  satisfactory.  If,  on  the  contra¬ 
ry,  our  first  ideas  are  false,  and  deeply  impressed,  it  is 
next  to  impossible  that  the  understanding,  however  clear 
in  its  deductions,  and  sincere  in  its  purpose,  should  re¬ 
move  the  feeling  it  opposes,  so  that  it  will  not  recur 
again  and  again.  You  were  brought  up  with  the  notion 
that  chance  or  destiny  ordered  all  events  ;  and  though 
you  have  long  been  convinced  that  when  you  reason  on 
the  subject,  there  is  no  sound  argument  to  be  urged  in 
favor  of  this  opinion,  but  every  thing  to  confirm  that  of 
a  particular  Providence,  ye«t  your  early  impressions  re¬ 
main  for  your  discomfort,  whenever  any  circumstances 
of  a  distressing  nature  occur.” 

“  I  wish  it  were  possible,”  she  added  in  an  affection¬ 
ate  tone,  “to  transfer  to  you  the  repose  and  resignation 
which  I  enjoy,  from  having  been  early  impressed  with  a 
belief  that  God  is  a  kind  and  watchful  guardian,  who  or¬ 
ders  all  our  affairs  from  benevolent  motives.” 

tf  I  do  not  see  that  I  can  help  it,”  replied  Mr  Hender¬ 
son.  I  read  the  books  adapted  to  convince  my  mind,  and 
then  I  feel  assured  I  have  studied  the  New  Testament, 
and  am  satisfied  of  its  truth.  I  have  made  a  profession 
of  religion,  and  wish  to  be  a  Christian.  What  more  can  I 
do?” 

My  dear  husband,”  said  Mrs  Henderson,  “  I  will 
say  more  of  you  than  you  say  for  yourself.  You  not  only 
wish  to  be  a  Christian,  but  you  manifest  by  a  life  of  strict 
conformity  to  the  precepts  of  Jesus  Christ,  that  you  really 
are  a  Christian,  in  spirit,  and  life.  But  you  fail  of  reap- 


10  PROVIDENCE,  FAITH,  AND  PRAYER.  10 

ing  the  joys  of  a  Christian,  from  a  want  of  those  feelings 
of  faith,  which  I  enjoy  by  the  blessings  of  early  instruc¬ 
tions/’ 

Mr  Henderson  was  affected  by  this  proof  of  the  tender 
love  and  approbation  of  his  wife  ;  and  moved  by  that  in. 
ternal  feeling  of  humility,  which  every  real  Christian 
must  understand,  he  said,  “  do  not,  my  dear,  bestow 
praise  like  this  on  a  being  so  utterly  useless  and  worth¬ 
less  as  I  feel  myself  to  be.” 

“  When  we  think  of  ourselves  in  relation  to  God  and 
to  the  character  exhibited  by  our  Saviour,”  replied  Mrs 
Henderson,  “  it  is  altogether  proper,  as  it  is  entirely 
true,  that  we  should  esteem  ourselves  unworthy,  and 
feel  self-abased  before  our  Maker  and  our  Master.  But 
we  are  taught  by  that  master  to  judge  ourselves  and 
to  judge  others  by  the  actions  of  our  lives,  as  we  judge 
of  trees  by  their  fruit ;  and  in  doing  this,  we  must  dis¬ 
criminate  between  our  good  and  bad  actions.  We 
must  compare  ourselves  with  others,  and  when  thus 
comparing  actions,  we  must  perceive,  and  it  is  proper  to 
express  candidly,  in  what  we  rise  above,  and  in  what 
we  sink  below  others.  In  this  view  of  ourselves,  we  may 
with  gratitude  to  God  rejoice  that,  in  some  instances,  we 
have  been  enabled  to  follow  the  example  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  trust,  that  our  endeavors  to  do  so,  may  be  accepted 
in  all  cases.  At  the  same  time,  we  ought  to  search  our 
heart,  and  if  in  any  thing  it  is  not  right  before  God,  pre¬ 
ferring  its  own  will  to  his,  we  should  acknowledge  it, 
and  humble  ourselves  accordingly.  But  even  in  the 
deepest  devotion,  we  should  be  under  the  guidance  of 
reason,  and  not  abandon  ourselves  to  emotions,  however 
pious  they  may  be.” 


11 


PROVIDENCE,  FAITH,  AND  PRAYER, 


11 


“  I  do  not  think  it  right  to  abandon  ourselves  to  feel¬ 
ing, said  Mr  Henderson,  “  nor  do  I  ever  allow  myself  to 
do  it.  Emotions  will  come  ;  doubts  will  present  them¬ 
selves.  I  can  command  my  feelings  as  well,  I  believe,  as 
most  people ;  but  I  can  do  it  only  by  turning  my  mind 
forcibly  from  what  affects  me,  and  engaging  it  in  a  dif¬ 
ferent  train  of  thought.  I  can  restore  peace  in  no  other 
way.” 

r<  I  never  found  that  method  effectual  with  my  feel¬ 
ings,55  said  Mrs  Henderson  ;  “  it  only  shuts  out  the  tide, 
till  accident  breaks  down  the  barrier,  and  then  the  tor¬ 
rent  is  overpowering.55 

Mr  Henderson  answered,  “  If  I  attempt  to  reconcile 
my  feelings  to  painful  events,  instead  of  banishing  those 
feelings,  I  am  immediately  overpowered  by  the  multitude 
of  distressing  doubts  which  present  themselves,  and  which 
I  can  neither  quiet  nor  remove.55 

“  There  is  only  one  resource  in  all  such  difficulties,5' 
said  Mrs  Henderson,  “  and  that  appears  to  me  always 
effectual  whether  the  faith  is  weak  or  powerful.  At 
least  I  have  found  it  so,  in  every  period  of  my  life  and 
under  all  circumstances.55 

“  You  mean  the  power  of  religion,  I  suppose,55  said 
her  husband ;  “  but,  as  I  told  you  before,  with  me  it  is 
not  sufficient ;  my  faith  is  not  strong  enough,  it  is  not 
implicit  enough  to  answer  the  purpose.55 

44  No,55  interrupted  Mrs  Henderson,  “  I  did  not  intend 
to  advert  to  the  general  influence  of  religion  ;  but  to  the 
power  of  one  act  of  Christian  faith.  It  is  prayer  only, 
that,  I  should  think  effectual  in  relieving  our  minds  of 
such  thoughts  as  afflict  you.  Prayer  is  the  greatest  priv¬ 
ilege  of  a  Christian.  The  highest,  the  holiest,  the  noblest 


12 


PROVIDENCE,  FAITH,  AND  PRAYER. 


12 


employment  of  men.  It  is  also  the  most  natural  of  all  acts. 
When  the  mind  is  deeply  wounded  and  perplexed,  when 
we  are  pressed  on  every  side,  and  can  find  no  hope  of  re* 
lief  from  any  quarter  where  human  reason  directs  us,  the 
very  despair  we  feel  prompts  us  to  direct  our  thoughts  to 
some  power  above  ourselves,  and  to  implore  relief.  In 
perfect  conformity  to  this  opinion  is  the  anecdote  of  the 
Indian  woman,  who,  seeing  her  child  sinking  in  the  wave 
where  no  human  power  could  reach  him,  extended  her 
arms  in  an  agony  of  despair,  and  falling  on  her  knees, 
exclaimed,  “  O,  thou  every  where,  save  my  child.5'* 
This  was  instinct,  and  in  perfect  unison  with  this  instinct, 
are  the  precepts  of  our  Saviour.  Nature  and  faith  di¬ 
rect  the  uncorrupted  mind,  in  every  extremity,  to  ask  of 
God  that  help,  which  no  other  power  can  afford.55 

“  All  that  would  be  very  well,55  replied  Mr  Henderson, 
“  if,  when  we  ask  for  relief,  we  could  be  always  sure  of 
receiving  it.  We  should  then  be  so  much  encouraged  as 
to  resort  to  this  remedy  in  every  evil.  But  the  truth  is, 
that  however  earnestly  we  implore,  relief  is  often  denied 
us,  and  therefore  wre  naturally  doubt  its  efficacy.55 

“  Oh  no,  my  dear,’5  exclaimed  Mrs  Henderson,  “  it  is 
not  so.  I  am  sure  you  cannot  believe  that  a  sincere  and 
ardent  prayer  was  ever  offered  in  vain.55 

“1  do  not  know  what  you  mean,55  replied  Mr  Hen¬ 
derson,  surprised  in  his  turn.  “  Did  we  not  daily  pray  that 
the  life  of  our  dear  child  might  be  spared  ?  did  we  not 
have  our  minister  to  pray  for  us  ?  did  we  not  seek  this 
blessing  with  many  tears,  and  with  the  most  pious  and 
humble  state  of  mind  ?  and  were  not  our  prayers  disre¬ 
garded,  and  our  precious  child  taken  from  us  ?  55 

“  Will  you  let  me  express  in  my  own  language  the  state 


13 


PROVIDENCE,  FAITH,  AND  PRAYER. 


13 


of  our  minds,  and  the  object  of  our  prayers,  and  the 
dealings  of  God  with  us,  in  this  case  ?  ”  asked  Mrs  Hen¬ 
derson. 

44  Do  so,  my  love  ;  ”  replied  her  husband  ;  44  I  should  be 
glad  to  receive  light  from  your  way  of  viewing  it.” 

44  You  say,”  observed  Mrs  Henderson,  44  that  we  offered 
our  prayers  in  the  most  pious  and  humble  state  of  mind. 
If  so,  we  certainly  believed  that  God,  who  knows  all 
things,  could  see  better  than  we  could,  what  events  would 
really  prove  a  blessing  to  us,  and  what  would  not ;  and  we 
should  pray  conditionally,  that  he  would  grant  what  we 
asked,  if  he  could  see  it  would  prove  for  our  happiness. 
And,  as  he  has  ordered  things  otherwise,  our  piety  and 
humility  require  us  to  submit  with  resignation  to  the  re¬ 
fusal  of  our  petitions.” 

44  Very  well,”  interrupted  Mr  Henderson,  44  allow  it  to 
be  as  you  say.  Still  my  assertion  remains  uncontroverted, 
that  we  ask,  and  are  denied.  If  we  prayed  not  at  all,  in 
what  should  we  be  losers  ?  ” 

44 1  do  not  view  the  subject  in  the  same  light,”  replied 
Mrs  Henderson.  44 1  still  believe  that  our  prayers  are  ac¬ 
cepted,  and  answered,  if  we  really  pray  with  sincere  and 
humble  minds.” 

44 1  do  not  see  how  you  make  it  out,”  said  Mr  Hen¬ 
derson. 

44 1  can  only  speak  for  myself,”  Mrs  Henderson  said. 
44 1  feel  convinced  that  my  petitions  are  heard,  and  are 
accepted,  and  my  prayer  granted,  if  not  exactly  in  the 
way  my  own  imperfect  views  would  have  induced  me  to 
dictate,  had  a  choice  been  allowed  me,  yet  so  as  to  fill 
my  heart  with  gratitude  and  resignation.” 

2 


VOL.  II. 


14 


PROVIDENCE,  FAITH,  AND  PRAYER. 


14 


“  How  is  it,  then,  we  differ  so  essentially,”  inquired 
Mr  Henderson,  “  seeing  we  are  both  professors  of  the 
religion  of  Jesus  Christ  ?  Both  were  piously  offering 
prayers  for  the  life  of  our  child,  both  equally  distressed  by 
the  fear  of  losing  her ;  how  is  it  we  feel  so  differently  1 
Tell  me  the  whole  process  in  yourself;  and  let  us  com¬ 
pare  the  state  of  our  feelings  and  our  conduct,  step  by 
step,  and  see,  if  we  can,  where  the  difference  lies.” 

•  “For  my  own  part,”  replied  his  wife,  “  I  never  feel 
disposed  to  pray,  unconditionally,  for  any  outward  cir¬ 
cumstance.  I  pray  unconditionally,  I  plead  urgently, 
that  I  may  be  blessed  with  that  spirit  which  will  unite 
me  to  my  Maker,  that  I  may  have  the  spirit  of  Christ, 
and  be  enabled  to  view  all  my  temporal  circumstances  as 
ordered  in  infinite  mercy.  In  short,  I  pray  not  for  ex¬ 
ternal,  but  internal  changes  ;  that  my  mind  may  be  con¬ 
formed  altogether  to  the  will  of  God.  I  pray  also,  for  all 
those  that  are  dear  to  me,  that  each  one  may  be  trans¬ 
formed  into  the  spirit  of  meekness,  of  wisdom,  of  love,  of 
goodness,  so  that  we  may  all  go  on  our  way  rejoicing,  let  - 
that  way  be  checkered  as  it  will.  For  every  thing  else, 
my  dear  husband,  I  pray  only  in  humble  submission  to 
the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God,  not  daring  to  wish  that 
my  imperfect  mind  shall  in  any  thing  dictate  what  events 
shall  happen  to  me.” 

“What  then,”  exclaimed  Mr  Henderson,  “  did  you  not 
pray  earnestly  and  devoutly  for  the  life  of  our  dear  Eliz¬ 
abeth  ?  ” 

“  I  did  not  pray  for  it,  unconditionally,”  replied  Mrs 
Henderson.  “  I  dare  not.  manifest  so  much  presumption. 

I  did  pray,  if  God  could  see  it  for  the  best  good  of  all  con¬ 
cerned,  that  he  would  grant  her  to  our  prayers ;  but  I 


I 


15 


PROVIDENCE,  FAITH,  AND  PRAYER. 


15 


was  afraid  to  ask  more.  Even  Jesus  Christ  did  not,  in 
the  greatest  extremity,  offer  a  prayer  for  deliverance  on 
any  other  ground.  ‘  Not  my  will,’  said  he,  ‘  but  thine  be 
done.’  I  prayed  also,  and  with  deep  earnestness,  that 
our  minds  might  be  prepared  for  whatever  events  should 
be  ordered  by  his  goodness  ;  and  that,  under  any  circum¬ 
stances,  we  might  each  of  us  be  supported  by  his  spirit, 
and  receive  his  healing  mercy. 

“  My  prayers,  I  am  sure,  were  heard  and  granted ; 
and  though  God  has  called  us  to  mourn,  we  ought  also 
to  acknowledge  and  be  grateful  for  the  grace  he  has. 
given  us.” 

“  What  do  you  mean  by  the  grace  of  God?”  asked 
Mr  Henderson  ;  “  This  is  a  phrase  very  commonly  used, 
but  I  never  could  exactly  comprehend  its  meaning.” 

“  Grace,  my  dear  husband,  does  it  not  mean  favor  ?  ” 
asked  Mrs  Henderson,  a  little  embarrassed. 

“I  do  not  know,”  replied  her  husband,  “  I  am  no 
scholar  ;  nor  am  I  learned  in  theology.’' 

“  Nor  do  I  pretend  to  be  learned  in  any  thing,”  said  Mrs 
Henderson  ;  “  but  I  think  grace  means  any  of  God’s  bless¬ 
ings.  It  is  by  God’s  grace  we  live,  and  are  provided  with 
the  comforts  and  conveniences  of  life ;  it  is  by  his  grace 
we  have  the  enjoyment  of  rational  faculties  and  bodily 
powers.  But  generally,  when  God’s  grace  is  spoken  of,  I 
suppose  his  spiritual  favors  are  intended  to  be  expressed.” 

Well,  and  what  do  you  call  the  spiritual  favors  of 
God,”  asked  Mr  Henderson.  After  a  moment’s  pause, 
during  which  Mrs  Henderson  seemed  deep  in  thought,  she 
replied.  “  If  I  find  my  mind,  on  any  occurrence,  greatly 
disturbed,  my  spirits  depressed,  my  feelings  excited,  and 
some  deeply  painful  impressions  made  upon  it  by  par- 


PROVIDENCE,  FAITH,  AND  PRAYER. 


16 


16 


ticular  circumstances,  and  if,  in  this  state,  my  religious 

/  * 

principles  and  reflections  are  unequal  to  restoring  my  quiet 
and  tranquillity  ;  if  my  philosophy  is  insufficient,  and  all 
common  aid  fails  ine,  I  have  then  two  methods  left,  which 
may  bring  back  my  peace.  On  the  ground  of  philosophy,  I 
may  presume,  as  it  is  one  of  its  principles,  that  nothing  vio¬ 
lent  can  last  loner,  that  when  time  has  been  allowed  its  influ- 
ence,  I  shall  recover  the  cheerful  tone  of  my  feelings.  Or 
on  the  ground  of  religion,  I  may  hope,  that  God  will  do 
for  me  what  I  cannot  do  for  myself,  if  I  earnestly  im¬ 
plore  his  mercy  to  calm  the  tumults  of  my  feelings.  The 
assistance  I  receive,  the  serenity  and  peace  which  are  re¬ 
stored,  is  the  answer  to  my  prayer.  This  is  the  grace  of 
God,  his  spiritual  favor;  it  is  that  unseen,  and  often  un¬ 
known  operation  of  his  power,  that  preserves  the  human 
mind,  through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  life,  so  capable  of 
happiness  ;  and  when  it  is  under  the  habitual  influence  of 
religion,  renders  it  so  uniformly  peaceful  and  contented.” 

“  Will  you  pretend  to  say,”  asked  Mr  Henderson,  “  that 
a  miracle  is  performed,  in  favor  of  those  who  pray  in  the 
manner  and  circumstances  you  describe  1  and  that  peace 
and  happiness  are  restored  to  their  minds  by  the  immedi¬ 
ate  operation  of  God's  spirit,  and  not  by  strictly  natural 
means  ?  That  is  a  fallacy  to  which  I  can  never  yield  my 
mind,  I  am  not  enthusiast  enough  to  believe  that.” 

“  My  dear  husband,”  replied  his  wife,  “  it  is  not  my 
mind,  but  yours,  which  is  imposed  upon  by  fallacy.  The 
terms,  natural  means,  and  miracle,  are  both  used  so  in¬ 
definitely,  they  are  sc  obscure  and  vague,  that  they  are 
altogether  fallacious  in  their  common  application.  If, 
in  the  case  we  are  speaking  of,  you  intend  to  express 
by  the  term,  strictly  natural  means,  the  mode  in  which 


17 


PROVIDENCE,  FAITH,  AND  PRAYER. 


17 


the  human  mind  is  always  affected  in  similar  circumstan¬ 
ces,  I  will  assert  that  the  operation  of  divine  grace  in 
thus  producing  a  desirable  state  of  feeling,  when  thus 
earnestly  prayed  for,  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  strictly 
natural  means.  For  I  fully  believe  that  every  sincere 
prayer  offered  to  God  for  a  proper  temper  of  mind,  is  fol¬ 
lowed  by  the  temper  of  mind  desired  ;  and  yet  I  do  as 
fully  believe  the  state  of  feeling  would  not  have  been  pro¬ 
duced,  without  the  ardent  desire  and  humble  petition. 
Prayer  is  the  appointed  means  of  obtaining  the  blessing, 
the  condition  on  which  it  is  promised  ;  and  when  all  these 
circumstances  occur,  the  effect  always  follows.  Thus  it 
may  be  called  strictly  natural  means.  I  do  not  know 
any  means  that  separates  the  mind  from  the  influence  of 
Deity.  Nature  is  only  another  name  to  express  the  com¬ 
mon  providence  of  God  ;  and  this  effect  on  the  mind 
through  the  means  of  prayer  I  consider  of  that  kind.” 

Mr  Henderson  then  said,  “  if  you  call  such  an  effect  of 
prayer,  the  operation  of  natural  causes,  what  do  you  think 
produces  the  effect  you  call  philosophical.  1s  not  that 
also  the  operation  of  natural  causes  ?  and  if  so,  what  is 
the  difference  between  them  ?  ” 

“  My  dear  husband,”  said  Mrs  Henderson,  “  does  not 
God  preserve  and  bless  us,  when  we  do  not  ask  him  ? 
when  we  even  forget  him,  and  disobey  him  ?  He  invites 
us  to  turn  to  him  and  find  happiness,  by  all  the  variety 
of  events  in  which  his  Providence  places  us.  If  a  pain¬ 
ful  event  induces  us  to  seek  him,  and  ask  his  gracious  in- 
fluence,  ive  receive  it,  and  our  peace  is  restored.  If  we 
do  not  seek  him.  he  gradually  restores  our  peaceful  state 
of  mind,  but  not  such  peace  as  prayer  brings;  and  thus 
prepares  us  for  new  incitements.  All  the  train  of  human 


VOL.  II. 


IS  PROVIDENCE,  FAITH,  AND  PRAYER.  IS 

events,  and  all  the  states  of  mind  resulting  from  them, 
are  only  the  varied  means  used  by  our  Heavenly  Father 
to  draw  our  hearts  to  him,  and  conform  our  spirits  en¬ 
tirely  to  him  ;  by  which  eternal  happiness  will  be  secured 
to  us.” 

“  Then,”  interrupted  Mr  Plenderson,  “  you  mean  to  say 
that  what  is  called  the  philosophical  cause,  is,  in  your  opin¬ 
ion,  only  the  operation  of  God  on  the  mind,  without  any 
voluntary  co-operation  of  that  mind  ;  and  what  is  called 
spiritual  influences,  is  God’s  operation  on  the  mind,  in 
co-operation  with  the  earnest  and  expressed  desires  of  the 
heart  ?  ” 

“  Yes,  that  is  what  I  think,  my  dear,”  replied  his  wife  ; 
“  and  I  should  like  to  explain  my  ideas  more  at  large,  if 
you  think  them  worth  attending  to.” 

Mr  Henderson  made  no  reply,  but  appearing  to  listen, 
Mrs  Henderson  continued.  “  With  those  persons  who 
never  seek  the  aid  of  God’s  grace,  who  know  nothing 
of  religious  intercourse  with  their  Maker,  God  deals  in  a 
certain  manner,  and  such  as  he  perceives  to  be  the  most 
effectual  in  bringing  them  to  the  state  of  mind  most  con¬ 
formed  to  his  own,  and  therefore  most  capable  of  rendering 
them  happy.  This  being  the  case  with  the  greatest  num¬ 
ber  of  human  beings,  embracing  barbarians,  semicivilized 
people,  heathens,  infidels,  idiots,  insane  persons,  and  little 
children,  the  methods  pursued  respecting  them  are  the 
most  frequently  observable  ;  so  that  they  who  take  notice 
and  reason  on  the  circumstances  of  human  life,  come 
at  length  to  the  conclusion  that  God  has  established  cer¬ 
tain  general  laws  by  which  he  chooses  to  govern  the 
world,  which  they  call  laws  of  nature,  or  philosoph- 


19. 


PROVIDENCE,  FAITH,  AND  PRAYER. 


19 


ical  causes  ;  as  if  God  had  delegated  to  other  powers,  the 
conduct  of  those  circumstances,  which  require  constant 
attention  and  superintendency,  while  he  reserves  for  him¬ 
self  only  the  management  of  those  few  and  extraordinary 
events,  which  he  deems  more  important,  and  requiring 
greater  exertion  of  divine  power.  But  it  is  easy  to  per¬ 
ceive  that  this  mode  of  reasoning  is  the  effect  of  man's 
imperfect  faculties,  which,  not  comprehending  an  idea  of 
Deity,  are  disposed  to  circumscribe  the  attributes  of  God 
bv  their  own  narrow  views.” 

J 

“  This  view  of  the  subject  seems  rational,”  observed 
Mr  Henderson. 

Mrs  Henderson  continued.  “  God  deals  differently  with 
the  class  of  persons,  who  come  into  nearer  communication 
with  him  by  means  of  religion.  They  are  drawn,  by 
their  lively  faith  in  divine  revelation,  to  seek  the  favor 
of  their  Heavenly  Father  directly.  They  know,  they  feel 
that  they  are  led  by  his  spirit,  whenever  they  do  not  resist 
it;  and  they  desire  to  become  more  and  more  conformed  to 
it,  and  to  live  by  it.  They  know  they  shall  be  heard  by 
their  Maker,  whenever  they  sincerely  ask  for  his  assist¬ 
ance  and  influence.  They  are  convinced  they  shall  be 
permanently  united  to  God,  if  they  strive  to  subdue  the 
evil  passions  and  abandon  the  conduct,  which  separate 
them  from  him,  and  are  truly  and  earnestly  desirous  that 
he  should  reign  in  their  hearts.  To  all  such  persons, 
and  in  all  their  circumstances,  God  uniformly  grants  his 
grace,  according  to  his  own  divine  measure  and  wisdom  ; 
and  still,  as  with  mankind  at  large,  effects  follow  causes,, 
uniformly  and  constantly  ;  and  the  reward  of  spiritual 
favor,  on  the  urgent  request  for  it,  is  as  much  a  general 
mode  of  operation,  as  that  adopted  for  the  greater  num- 


*20 


FROVIDENCE,  FAITH  AND  PRAYER. 


20 


hers.  It  is  less  frequent  only  because  fewer  minds  are  in 
the  state  to  ask  and  receive.  It  is  therefore,  strictly 
speaking,  as  much  a  natural  law  as  the  other.*’ 

“  I  like  that  explanation,*’  said  Mr  Henderson, 

Mrs  Henderson’s  countenance  became  irradiated,  as  her 
husband’s  mind  appeared  impressed.  She  continued. 
“  There  are  other  situations  and  circumstances  of  the 
mind  in  which  a  different  mode  of  operation  is  adopted 
by  God.  In  this  method,  God  sees  fit  to  manifest  himself 
sensibly  to  his  creatures,  cither  on  their  minds  immedi¬ 
ately,  or  by  interrupting  his  general  course.  These  cir¬ 
cumstances,  occurring  much  less  frequently  than  cither 
of  the  others  I  have  noticed,  and  indeed,  since  the 
Christian  era,  having  apparently  not  occurred  at  all,  are 
considered  by  mankind  as  the  only  instances  of  God’s 
directly  operating  on  worldly  affairs  ;  and  accordingly  they 
are  distinctly  called  miraculous.  But  as  such  phenomena 
always  occur  in  the  same  given  situation  of  men,  they 
ought  to  be  considered  as  means,  as  strictly  natural  as 
any  other  mode  that  God  uses  to  effect  his  purposes.” 

“  If  what  is  called  natural  means,  and  what  aie  called 
divine  interpositions,  and  what  is  called  miracle,  are  all 
4  equally  the  methods,  uniformly  pursued  by  God  to  reform 
and  elevate  the  human  character,  and  unite  the  spirit  cf 
man  with  his  Maker,  why  is  it  that  such  different  terms 
have  obtained  such  general  use  1  I  wish  you  to  reca¬ 
pitulate  a  little  on  this  subject,”  said  Mr  Henderson. 

Mrs  Henderson  replied.  The  different  states  of  the 
human  mind,  which  God  always  regards  in  his  dealings 
with  us,  require  these  different  methods,  to  produce  the 
same  result,  which  is,  union  with  him,  and  consequent 


21 


PROVIDENCE,  FAITH,  AND  PRAYER. 


21 


happiness.  These  different  methods  are  noticed  by  us 
while  the  causes  for  them  are  disregarded.  Mankind  are 
prone  to  look  out  of  themselves  for  a  cause,  and  are  too  in¬ 
attentive  to  the  similar  states  of  mind,  which  are  followed 
by  similar  providences;  and  hence  the  erroneous  ideas  of 
the  different  modes  of  operation,  which  are  considered  ar¬ 
bitrary  in  cases  of  providential  interference  and  miracles, 
while  his  ordinary  dealings  are  supposed  to  be  by  estab¬ 
lished  laws,  which,  when  once  arranged,  are  afterwards 
abandoned  by  him  to  their  own  consequences.  The  dif¬ 
ferent  phraseology  is  necessary  to  distinguish  the  different 
methods ;  and  if  the  terms  were  used  only  to  designate 
the  different  states  of  mind  and  circumstances  of  man¬ 
kind,  there  would  be  no  false  notions  imbibed.” 

“  This  is  a  different  view  of  the  subject  from  any 
I  have  ever  before  taken,”  said  Mr  Henderson  ;  “  and 
certainly  it  is  more  consistent  with  the  character  of  God, 
than  to  suppose,  as  I  have  hitherto  done,  that  in  all  the 
common  concerns  of  life  he  holds  himself  at  a  distance, 
and  is  unconcerned  how  the  world  is  going  on  ;  and  that 
it  is  only  on  great  occasions,  and  in  uncommon  circum¬ 
stances,  he  condescends  to  interfere  with  the  established 
order  of  things.  In  the  view  you  have  given,  God  is 
intimately  acquainted  with  every  event  of  every  individ¬ 
ual,  even  to  his  smallest  emotion,  as  well  as  his  general 
state  of  feeling  ;  and  he  adapts  every  circumstance  to 
the  exact  state  of  mind  of  each  individual,  at  all  times, 
and  in  such  a  manner,  as  on  the  whole  to  be  productive 
of  the  greatest  benefit  to  each  one  of  his  creatures.  I  have 
never  before  taken  such  a  view  of  our  relation  to  God.” 

After  a  short  pause,  he  added  in  a  pensive  tone,  “  I  am 
afraid  I  have  never  prayed  as  I  ought.” 


22  PROVIDENCE,  FAITH,  AND  PRAYER.  22 

“  How  have  you  prayed,  my  dear  husband  1  ”  asked 
his  wife.  “  You  have  always  been  sincere  in  your  prayers, 
have  you  not?” 

“  Yes,”  replied  Mr  Henderson,  “  I  have  not  been  hypo¬ 
critical  certainly.  I  have  prayed  sincerely  as  an  act  of 
devotion  to  God  ;  believing  it  a  duty  to  acknowledge  mer¬ 
cies  received,  to  praise  my  Maker,  to  confess  my  sins  and 
ask  forgiveness.  But  I  have  never  felt  it  a  privilege,  a  de¬ 
light,  the  highest  honor,  to  be  allowed  to  disclose  my 
feelings  to  my  God,  as  really  and  truly  my  best  friend. 
I  have  never  asked  divine  aid  and  direction,  with  a  full 
and  entire  conviction,  that  I  was  addressing  a  Being  pre¬ 
sent  with  me,  and  able  and  willing  to  grant  me  every 
blessing  proper  for  me  ;  and,  especially,  I  have  never  for  a 
moment  imagined  I  must  ask  him  to  influence  my  feel¬ 
ings  and  my  mind,  so  as  to  produce  the  state  which  will 
be  most  agreeable  to  him,  and  most  happy  for  myself.  I 
never  before  conceived  this  to  be  the  object  of  prayer.  I 
have  never  felt  it  as  I  ought.  But,  I  confess,  my  views 
are  changed.  The  ways  of  Providence  seem  lighted  up 
anew.  I  perceive  grounds  of  resignation  in  view  of 
our  dear  Elizabeth’s  death,  which  were  concealed  from 
me.  My  faith  in  God,  as  the  infinitely  kind  Father  of 
his  children,  has  gained  new  strength.  Never  did  my 
relation  to  this  gracious  Being  seem  so  near  and  intimate 
as  it  does  at  this  moment.  Devotion  will  henceforward 
have  delight  for  me  that  I  have  not  before  been  able  to 
derive  from  it.  You  remember  the  beautiful  hymn  on  the 
seasons  of  prayer  which  you  have  so  often  repeated  to 
me  ?  It  breathes  a  spirit  in  perfect  unison  with  my  pre¬ 
sent  feelings.” 


23  PROVIDENCE,  FAITH,  AND  PRAYER.  23 

SEASONS  OF  PRAYER. 

To  prayer,  to  prayer  ; — for  the  morning  breaks, 

And  earth  in  her  Maker’s  smile  awakes. 

His  light  is  on  all  below  and  above, 

The  light  of  gladness  and  life  and  love. 

Oh,  then,  on  the  breath  of  this  early  air, 

Send  upward  the  incense  of  grateful  prayer. 

To  prayer  ; — for  the  glorious  sun  is  gone, 

And  the  gathering  darkness  of  night  comes  on. 

Like  a  curtain  from  God’s  kind  hand  it  flows 
To  shade  the  couch  where  his  children  repose. 

Then  kneel,  while  the  watching  stars  are  bright, 

And  give  your  last  thoughts  to  the  Guardian  of  night. 

To  prayer  ; — for  the  day  that  God  has  blest 
Comes  tranquilly  on  with  its  welcome  rest. 

It  speaks  of  creation’s  early  bloom ; 

It  speaks  of  the  Prince  who  burst  the  tomb. 

Then  summon  the  spirit’s  exalted  powers, 

And  devote  to  Heaven  the  hallowed  hours. 

There  are  smiles  and  tears  in  the  mother’s  eyes, 

For  her  new  born  infant  beside  her  lies. 

Oh  hour  of  bliss !  when  the  heart  o'erflows 
With  rapture  a  mother  only  knows. 

Let  it  gush  forth  in  words  of  fervent  prayer ; 

Let  it  swrell  up  to  Heaven  for  her  precious  care. 

There  are  smiles  and  tears  in  that  gathering  band, 
Where  the  heart  is  pledged  with  the  trembling  hand. 
What  trying  thoughts  in  her  bosom  swell, 

As  the  bride  bids  parent  and  home  farewell ! 

Kneel  down  by  the  side  of  the  tearful  fair, 

And  strengthen  the  perilous  hour  with  prayer. 


24  PROVIDENCE,  FAITH,  AND  PRAYER*. 

Kneel  down  by  the  sinner's  dying  side, 

And  pray  for  his  soul  through  him  who  died. 

Large  drops  of  anguish  are  thick  on  his  brow  : 

Oh  what  is  earth  and  its  pleasures  now  1 
And  what  shall  assuage  his  dark  despair, 

But  the  penitent  cry  of  humble  prayer  ? 

Kneel  down  at  the  couch  of  departing  faith, 

And  hear  the  last  words  the  believer  saith. 

He  has  hidden  adieu  to  his  earthly  friends  ; 

There  is  peace  in  his  eye  that  upward  bends  ; 

There  is  peace  in  his  calm  confiding  air ; 

For  his  last  thoughts  are  God’s,  his  last  words  prayer 

The  voice  of  prayer  at  the  sable  bier ! 

A  voice  to  sustain,  to  sooth,  and  to  cheer. 

It  commends  the  spirit  to  God  who  gave  ; 

It  lifts  the  thoughts  from  the  cold  dark  grave  ; 

It  points  to  the  glory  where  he  shall  reign, 

Who  whispered,  ‘  Thy  brother  shall  rise  again.’ 

The  voice  of  prayer  in  the  world  of  bliss  ! 

But  gladder,  purer,  than  rose  from  this. 

The  ransomed  shout  to  their  glorious  King, 

Where  no  sorrow  shades  the  soul  as  they  sing ; 

But  a  sinless  and  joyous  song  they  raise, 

And  their  voice  of  prayer  is  eternal  praise. 

Awake,  awake,  and  gird  up  thy  strength 
To  join  that  holy  band  at  length. 

To  Him,  who  unceasing  love  displays, 

Whom  the  powers  of  nature  unceasingly  praise, 

To  Him  thy  heart  and  thy  hours  be  given ; 

For  a  life  of  prayer  is  the  life  of  heaven. 


No.  14. 


ON 

*  * 


EXPERIMENTAL  RELIGION. 


PRINTED 


£or 


THE 


glmmcaw  {Unitarian  association. 


BOSTON, 

BOWLES  AND  DEARBORN,  72,  WASHINGTON  STREET 

1S27. 


Price  4  Cents . 


\ 


BOSTON, 

Isaac  R.  Butts  and  Co.  Printers. 


& 

f 


ON 


EXPERIMENTAL  RELIGION. 


One  of  the  many  random  charges  brought  against 
Unitarians  at  the  present  day  is,  that  they  are  no  friends 
to  Experimental  Religion ;  that  they  know  nothing  about 
it,  and  being  strangers  to  it  themselves,  do  not  seek  to 
promote  it  in  others.  It  is  true,  they  are  not  friends  to 
what  has  sometimes  been  called  experimental  religion  ; 
for  we  think  this  is  an  expression,  which  has  had  the 
fate  to  be  strangely  abused  and  perverted.  Many  talk 
and  write  about  experimental  religion,  as  if  it  were  a 
mysterious,  unintelligible  process  or  possession,  the 
badge  to  be  worn  by  those  few  only,  who  are  the  special 
favorites  of  heaven.  They  divide  the  whole  world  into 
but  two  classes,  between  whom  there  is  a  deep  and  wide 
gulf  of  separation,  and  take  no  note  of  the  various  de¬ 
grees,  more  or  less  imperfect,  in  which  the  true  spirit  of 
religion  may  be  cherished,  and  which  constitute  a  very 
great  diversity  in  the  religious  characters  of  men.  What 
they  understand  by  experimental  religion  seems  to  be  a 
certain  tangible  object,  which  is  to  be  seized  or  acquired 
altogether,  or  else  nothing  is  gained ;  it  is  the  result  of  a 
peculiar  call  of  God,  comes  from  influences  entirely 


1 


ON  EXPERIMENTAL  RELIGION. 


40 


supernatural,  and  is  in  fact  a  sort  of  miraculous  power, 
which  enables  them,  and  them  only,  to  step  at  once  out 
of  darkness  into  light,  to  leave  what  is  termed  the  world, 
and  join  what  is  termed  the  company  of  the  saints. 
Hence  they  sometimes  speak  of  getting  religion  and 
losing  religion,  as  they  would  speak  of  getting  or  losing 
property,  as  if  it  were  an  outward  possession,  and  not  a 
temper  of  mind  and  heart ;  as  if  it  were  a  certain  point, 
at  which,  when  they  arrive,  they  are  to  stop  and  con¬ 
gratulate  themselves  on  the  possession,  and  not  a  princi¬ 
ple  of  increase  and  improvement  in  piety  and  holiness ; 
as  if  it  were  a  kind  of  charter  for  heaven,  put  into  their 
hands  they  know  not  how  nor  whence,  and  insuring  to 
them  by  one  stirring  process  the  benefits  of  salvation. 

Now  these  and  kindred  views,  we  believe  to  be  as 
contradictory  to  every  correct  interpretation  of  scripture, 
as  they  are  to  the  suggestions  of  the  understanding  and 
of  reason.  But  no  one,  who  is  acquainted  with  the  sub¬ 
ject,  will  say  that,  therefore,  we  believe  that  there  is  in 
reality  no  such  thing  as  experimental  religion.  Very 
far  from  it.  We  do  believe  most  firmly  in  its  reality  and 
power.  It  is  an  old  complaint,  that  men  are  governed  by 
words  more  than  by  things.  Opinions  and  feelings  are 
so  much  modified  by  associated  ideas,  that  people  are 
very  apt  to  look  with  contempt  on  what  have  become 
favorite  expressions  with  those,  whose  opinions  they 
deem  irrational  and  unscriptural,  even  when  the  expres¬ 
sions  themselves  may  have  a  true  and  good  meaning. 
That  this  incautious  association  of  ideas  has  led  some 
minds  to  an  indiscriminate  and  unjustifiable  dislike  of  the 
phrase  experimental  religion ,  wre  do  not  deny.  But  it  is 
in  itself  a  very  significant  and  appropriate,  phrase,  and 


41 


ON  EXPERIMENTAL  RELIGION. 


O 


may  be  so  used  as  to  express  none  but  good  and  just  ideas ; 
nor  would  we  by  any  means  reject  it,  because  it  has  some¬ 
times  been  abused  by  the  unskilful  or  the  fanatical. 

Experimental  religion,  of  course,  signifies  religion,  the 
influence  of  which  is  and  has  been  experienced ;  aud 
when  we  speak  of  experiencing  religion,  we  use  the  same 
language,  and  in  the  same  sense,  as  when  we  speak  of 
experiencing  the  influence  of  any  principle  or  emotion, 
as  of  love,  joy,  sorrow,  & c.  The  language  is  perfectly 
plain  and  intelligible  in  the  one  case,  and  there  is  no  rea¬ 
son  why  it  should  not  be  equally  plain  and  intelligible  in 
the  other.  The  word  experimental  is  sometimes  opposed 
to  theoretical ;  thus  we  speak  of  an  experimental  farmer, 
meaning  thereby  one  who  carries  into  practice  all  those 
rules  of  good  husbandry  which  he  has  learned  from  ex_ 
perience.  It  is  sometimes  opposed  to  a  mere  display  of 
ivords ;  as  when  we  say  such  a  man  may  talk  about  trouble 
but  another  knows  it  by  experience.  And  in  general,  in 
connexion  with  whatever  subject  it  may  be  used,  it  de¬ 
notes  personal,  practiced  acquaintance  with  the  subject. 
Just  so  it  is  in  religion.  When  we  speak  of  it  as  experi¬ 
mental,  we  understand  by  it  that  thorough  vital  religion, 
which  is  planted  in  the  heart,  and  sanctifies  the  thoughts, 
the  purposes  and  the  life,  and  which  stands  opposed  to 
mere  speculation,  or  mere  profession,  to  idle  clamors  or 
boastful  words. 

I  will  endeavor  to  point  out  what  I  conceive  to  be  the 
elements,  which  enter  into  the  composition  of  experimen¬ 
tal  religion,  when  it  is  rightly  understood,  and  exhibited 
in  a  scriptural,  just  and  solemn  form. 

1 .  One  requisite  to  experimental  religion  is,  that  we 
should  receive  the  truths  of  religion  as  realities ;  I  mean 

VOL.  ii.  1* 


6 


ON  EXPERIMENTAL  RELIGION. 


42 


that  they  should  stand  forth  to  the  mind,  as  having  a  dis¬ 
tinct  existence,  in  bright  colors,  with  as  much  definite 
certainty,  as  if  they  lived  and  breathed  before  us.  And 
this  is  not  so  common  nor  so  easy  as  we  may  suppose  it  to 
be.  It  is  without  doubt  common  and  easy  to  give  our  as¬ 
sent  to  religious  truths ;  but  this  we  may  do,  and  yet 
those  truths  may  be  no  realities  to  us.  We  may  assent 
to  them,  because  the  evidence  which  accompanies  them, 
is  too  strong  to  be  resisted  or  refuted  ;  but  to  have  them 
actually  present  to  the  mind  in  the  freshness  of  vivid  ex¬ 
istence,  is  quite  a  different  thing.  There  are  certainly 
many  truths  which  we  do  not  and  cannot  deny,  but  which 
we  never  realize, — many  to  which  the  understanding  con¬ 
sents,  but  which  pass  across  the  mental  vision  like  fleet¬ 
ing  clouds,  whose  changing  tints  die  awray  upon  the  eyej 
or  like  those  mists  which  roll  off  in  dim  and  shadowy  sue- 
cession,  and  are  forgotten.  The  arm  that  is  palsied  may 
be  as  useless  as  if  it  were  severed  from  the  body  ;  so  that 
belief  in  religion,  which  is  weakened  and  neutralized  by 
the  want  of  a  distinct  and  powerful  feeling  of  reality,  may 
be  as  inefficacious  as  if  it  did  not  exist  at  all. 

Take  a  few  instances,  in  which  each  one  may  appeal 
to  his  own  consciousness. 

We  say  and  we  believe,  that  there  is  a  God,  a  living 
Spirit,  who  formed  and  who  sustains  the  universe,  and 
who  is  present  in  every  part  of  it  by  his  knowledge  and 
agency.  But  do  we  realize  this  great  truth  ?  Is  it  as  much 
an  object  of  constant  and  unfailing  certainty  to  our  minds 
as  the  existence  of  our  friends  and  associates  here  on 
earth  ?  Does  it  attend  us  in  our  meditations  and  our 
pursuits,  as  a  truth  upon  which  we  act,  and  which  gives  a 
cast  and  color  to  our  views  and  purposes  ?  Is  it  not  to  be 


43 


ON  EXPERIMENTAL  RELIGION. 


7 


feared,  that  after  all,  it  is  frequently  only  a  formal  consent 
of  a  mind  which  sees  God  in  nothing,  and  nothing  in  God  ? 
Thus  likewise  it  is  an  object  of  rational  belief  with  us, 
that  God  exercises  over  us  a  natural  and  moral  govern* 
ment,  designed  to  train  us  up  to  holiness  and  happiness. 
But  let  conscience  say  whether  this  truth  is  as  much  a  re¬ 
ality  to  us  as  the  civil  government  of  our  country  under 
which  we  live.  Are  we  as  habitually  and  firmly  persuaded 
of  the  one  as  of  the  other  ?  Do  the  lawrs  of  the  divine 
administration  present  themselves  as  actually  and  definite¬ 
ly  to  our  minds,  as  the  laws  of  the  land,  by  which  we  are 
bound  to  regulate  our  conduct  ?  Must  we  not  confess, 
that  these  truths  are  something  less  real  to  our  feelings 
and  conceptions  in  the  one  case,  than -in  the  other? — 
Again  :  it  is  a  point  of  belief  with  us,  that  we  are  account¬ 
able  beings,  that  we  are  responsible  to  a  high  and  awful 
tribunal  for  our  time  and  our  talents,  our  privileges  and 
means, — that  “  we  shall  all  stand  before  the  judgment 
seat  of  Christ,” — and  that  “  every  one  of  us  must 
give  account  of  himself  to  God." — Now  are  we  prepared 
to  say  that  this  truth  is  a  solemn  reality  with  us  ?  Do  we 
actually  feel  it  to  be  as  much  so  as  our  legal  and  pecuni¬ 
ary  obligations  to  our  fellow  men  ?  Examine  it  by  this  test, 
and  see  if  the  hold  which  we  have  on  this  most  moment¬ 
ous  truth  be  not  quite  too  feeble  and  nominal, — if  there 
be  not  that  chilling  want  of  reality,  which  cripples  our 
faith  and  robs  it  of  its  power. — Once  more  ;  we  believe 
in  the  history  of  Jesus  Christ,  of  all  that  he  did,  and 
taught  and  suffered  for  the  salvation  of  man.  But  let  us 
put  the  question  to  our  hearts, — have  we  a  realizing  sense 
of  what  we  owe  to  this  Heavenly  Benefactor  ?  Have  we 
as  keen  and  vivid  a  feeling  of  the  services  and  love  of  the 


8 


ON  EXPERIMENTAL  RELIGION. 


44 


blessed  Saviour,  as  we  have  of  the  poor,  short-lived  kind, 
ness  of  our  earthly  friends  ?  Alas !  for  us,  that  God  should 
in  the  Gospel  reach  forth  the  arm  of  his  mercy  to  lift  us  up 
and  bless  us,  and  yet  that  we  should  look  upon  it  with 
cold  indifference. 

I  have  mentioned  these  merely  as  instances  of  the  state 
of  mind,  to  which  I  have  alluded, — a  state  of  lethargy 
and  deadness  with  regard  to  the  reality  of  religion.  Men 
believe  or  profess  to  believe  what  you  teach  them  of  the 
great  truths,  which  relate  to  eternity  ;  but  they  do  not 
realize  them, — they  do  not  suffer  them  to  be  wrought  into 
the  whole  texture  of  their  thoughts  and  feelings,  as  they 
do  with  respect  to  those  truths  which  prompt  and  regu¬ 
late  their  mechanical,  agricultural  or  mercantile  pur¬ 
suits. — Now  it  is  manifest,  that  while  they  remain  in  such 
a  state,  they  can  have  nothing  which  deserves  the  name 
of  experimental  religion.  On  such  a  soil,  at  the  best, 
nothing  but  stinted  shrubbery  and  half-formed  fruits 
can  ever  grow.  If  we  would  experience  the  power  of 
Christianity,  we  must  love  it;  and  how  can  we  love  it,  if 
we  do  not  realize  it  ?  There  must  be  a  strong,  vital  feel¬ 
ing,  that  the  great  and  essential  principles  of  religion  are 
as.  true  as  that  the  sun  shines  upon  us,  or  else  “  the  king¬ 
dom  of  God  ”  will  be  to  us  not  “  in  power,*5  but  “  in 
word  55  only.  This  persuasion  must  lie  at  the  foundation 
of  all  experimental  holiness  of  heart. 

I  know  that  the  sense  of  the  reality  of  the  great  truths 
relating  to  God,  to  his  moral  government,  to  our  account¬ 
ableness,  and  to  the  solemnities  of  a  future  state,  may,  in 
a  peculiar  state  of  mental  weakness  or  in  the  excitement 
of  passion,  operate  so  blindly,  and  with  such  painful  in¬ 
tenseness,  as  to  produce  nothing  but  anguish  or  dismay  of 


45 


ON  EXPERIMENTAL  RELIGION 


9 


spirit ;  and  this  distressing  perversion  of  a  good  thing  may 
induce  us  to  dread  being  in  earnest  about  religion.  But, 
we  should  remember  there  is  as  much  difference  be¬ 
tween  a  solemn  and  affecting  sense  of  the  actual  truth  of 
religion,  and  that  agonizing  feeling  which  crushes  the 
heart,  as  there  is  between  health  and  sickness,  between 
a  pure  atmosphere  and  pestilent  vapors.  Lay  it  down  for 
a  first  principle,  that  there  must  be  something  more  than  a 
faint,  nominal,  misty  and  loose  belief  in  the  great  doc. 
trines  of  Christianity,  if  we  would  have  them  come  upon 
our  souls  in  their  power  and  purity, — that,  in  short,  there 
can  be  no  such  thing  as  experimental  religion,  without  a 
deep  and  earnest  feeling  of  the  reality  of  its  truths  and 
principles. 

2.  Another  essential  requisite  to  experimental  religion 
is  a  sense  of  personal  interest  in  the  subject.  It  is  not 
enough  to  believe  in  the  truths  of  the  Gospel ;  it  is  not 
enough  even  to  have  a  deep  feeling  of  their  reality.  We 
must  go  further ;  we  must  appropriate  them  personally  to 
ourselves,  to  our  own  warning,  our  own  improvement,  and 
our  own  encouragement.  This  is  an  indispensable  step 
in  the  process  by  which  the  power  of  Christianity  is 
brought  into  the  heart  and  enthroned  there.  No  man 
ever  experienced  religion,  in  any  rational  sense,  who  did 
not  consider  its  great  and  solemn  truths  as  applicable  to 
himself,  to  his  own  peculiar  moral  condition,  his  own 
spiritual  wants,  his  sorrows,  his  temptations,  and  his  sins. 
It  is  very  easy  to  be  loud  in  the  praises  of  Christianity,  to 
bestow  upon  it  splendid  and  eloquent  applause,  to  think 
and  speak  of  it  as  a  glorious  and  beautiful  dispensation, 
to  tell  how  it  stimulates  and  fills  the  vast  spiritual  desires 
of  the  human  breast,  how  it  relieves  every  want,  and 


10 


ON  EXPERIMENTAL  RELIGION. 


46 


brightens  all  despondency  ;  to  be  wrapt  into  admira¬ 
tion  at  the  light  which  it  sheds  on  eternity,  at  the  ever¬ 
lasting  hopes  which  it  holds  out  to  the  aspirations  of  man, 
at  the  dignity  and  elevation  which  it  imparts  to  the  affec¬ 
tions  of  our  nature  that  cleave  to  immortality  ;  it  is,  I  say, 
very  easy  to  think  and  talk  in  this  glowing  strain,  and 
yet  have  no  feeling  of  a  personal  interest  in  this  most 
blessed  gift  of  God  to  man.  We  may  consider  it  in 
every  point  of  view,  except  that  in  which  it  touches  our 
hearts,  and  addresses  itself  to  our  souls.  We  may  re¬ 
gard  it  as  that,  in  which  mankind  in  general  have  an 
interest,  but  in  which  ice  have  no  peculiar  interest.  Thus 
we  may  please  ourselves  with  a  sort  of  romantic  warmth 
about  it,  and  forget  meanwhile  that  its  vital  power  has 
never  gone  down  into  our  hearts. 

Now  this  general,  vague,  superficial  way  of  thinking 
and  feeling  will  never  be  sufficient  to  make  religion  a 
matter  of  experimental  acquaintance  to  the  heart  of  the 
individual.  It  is  certainly  important  to  have  and  to 
cherish  these  large  and  noble  views  of  religion,  and  of 
the  benefits  it  has  conferred  on  the  human  race.  But 
we  must  penetrate  more  deeply  into  its  spirit,  if  we  would 
personally  know  its  power.  We  must  go  with  it  into 
our  closets,  and  commune  with  it  alone,  and  submit  our 
motives,  desires,  and  purposes  to  its  strict  and  unsparing 
scrutiny,  however  painful  it  may  be.  We  must  retire 
from  those  wide  considerations,  which  connect  it  with 
the  world  around  us,  and  view  ourselves  as  the  peculiar 
objects  of  its  counsels,  its  precepts,  its  warnings,  its 
hopes,  and  its  fears.  Religion  must  be  permitted  to  ad¬ 
dress  us,  as  Nathan  addressed  David  ;  it  must  say,  “  thou 
art  the  man.”  It  must  not  stand  before  us  in  the  dis* 


47 


ON  EXPERIMENTAL  RELIGION. 


11 


tance,  merely  as  a  bright  vision  to  gratify  our  sense  of 
the  moral  sublime  ;  it  must  be  felt  in  its  presence  and 
nearness,  as  a  subject  of  personal  concern,  and  as  bring¬ 
ing  an  errand  from  God  to  our  hearts  and  souls.  All 
this  it  must  certainly  do,  or  it  cannot  be  experimental 
religion. 

Does  the  voice  of  nature  and  of  revelation  teach  us 
that  there  is  a  God,  an  Infinite  Spirit,  who  rules  all 
worlds  ?  Then  let  each  one  say — this  God  is  my  Father, 
my  Creator,  my  Governor,  and  will  be  my  Judge. — Are 
we  taught  that  we  stand  responsible  to  the  bar  of  heaven 
for  the  use  of  all  our  gifts  and  privileges  ?  Let  every 
individual,  then,  consider  how  this  awful  truth  bears  upon 
him  personally,  and  what  answer  lie  could  give,  were  he 
now  summoned  to  his  final  account. — Does  Christianity 
present  to  us  that  Saviour,  who  came  to  bring  light  and 
pardon  to  a  world  lying  in  darkness  and  sin,  and  to 
purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar  people  zealous  of  good 
works  ?  ”  Then  let  every  one  solemnly  ask  himself — 
has  Christianity  been  to  me  personally  “  the  power  of  God 
and  the  wisdom  of  God  unto  salvation?”  Have  I  im¬ 
bibed  the  spirit  and  imitated  the  example  of  him,  who 
lived  and  died  for  me  ? — And  does  the  Gospel  teach  us, 
that  our  spirits  go  not  down  to  the  dust  with  our  bodies, 
but  are  made  for  immortality  and  retribution  ?  Does  it 
disclose  to  our  view  the  world  beyond  the  grave,  in  which 
“  tribulation  and  anguish  shall  be  upon  every  soul  of  man 
that  doeth  evil,  bat  glory,  honor,  and  peace  to  every 
man  that  worketh  good  ?  ”  Let  this  solemn  thought, 
then,  personally  affect  each  one  of  us ;  and  let  every 
heart  seek  earnestly  for  itself,  that  “  an  entrance  may  be 
ministered  into  the  everlasting  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and 


12 


ON  EXPERIMENTAL  RELIGION. 


48 


Saviour,  Jesus  Christ.” — By  such  applications  as  these, 
of  the  searching  truths  of  Christianity,  our  religion  may 
become  a  personal  concern  ;  and  this  will  be  one  of  the 
effectual  means  of  making  it  experimental.  When,  there¬ 
fore,  the  instructions  and  exhortations  of  divine  truth  oc¬ 
cur  to  thy  mind,  do  not  meet  them  with  the  cold  reflec¬ 
tion  that  they  belong  to  others  ;  be  assured,  that  they  be¬ 
long  to  thee,  that  thou  hast  a  personal  concern  in  them  of 
imperishable  and  everlasting  value.  Then  shalt  thou 
know  by  thine  own  experience  the  strengthening  and  re¬ 
freshing  influence  of  heavenly  truth ;  then  shalt  thou 
.  have  u  rejoicing  in  thyself,  and  not  in  another.” 

3.  The  last  step,  which  I  shall  mention,  in  the  acquisi¬ 
tion  of  experimental  religion  is,  that  it  must  be  within  us 
a  governing  principle  of  life  and  conduct.  Without  this, 
all  the  rest  is  useless. — It  is  in  vain  that  we  realize  the 
truths  of  Christianity  as  having  an  actual  and  distinct 
existence  ;  it  is  in  vain  that  we  view  them  as  applicable 
in  a  personal  manner  to  ourselves,  unless  they  become 
habitual  principles  of  action,  and  manifest  themselves  in 
all  the  ways  of  good  living.  Till  they  have  become  so, 
though  they  may,  like  barren  trees,  stand  forth  in  form 
and  comeliness,  yet  they  have  no  deep,  vigorous  roots, 
and  are  laden  with  no  precious  fruits.  Let  it  appear 
that  religion  pervades  the  life,  that  its  spirit  is  infused 
into  our  temper  and  conduct,  that  our  daily  thoughts, 
motives,  and  purposes  are  purified  and  consecrated  by 
its  influences, — then,  and  then  only,  will  it  be  experi¬ 
mental  religion. 

This  is  the  ultimate  test,  by  which  the  profession  of  a 
personal  acquaintance  with  the  spirit  of  Christianity  is 
to  be  tried  and  proved.  It  is  easy  and  common  enough 


49  ON  EXPERIMENTAL  RELIGION.  13 

to  talk  in  vague  and  high-wrought  strains  about  conver¬ 
sion  and  about  experimental  religion  ;  but  to  manifest,  in 
our  daily  conduct  and  dispositions,  the  experience  of  real 
religion  in  our  hearts  is  much  more  difficult,  and  at  the 
same  time  incomparably  better  and  more  satisfactory. 
There  is  something  very  deceptive  to  many  minds  in 
the  practice,  which  is  so  common,  of  pointing  out  a  spe¬ 
cific  time,  when  a  certain  swell  of  feeling — they  scarce¬ 
ly  know  what  or  whence — passed  over  their  minds  ;  in 
supposing  themselves  to  have  been  brought  out  of  dark¬ 
ness  into  marvellous  light  by  one  process,  if  not  instantly ; 
and  in  loving  the  mere  means  and  observances  of  Chris¬ 
tianity.  While  they  become  deeply  engaged  in  these 
things,  they  are  apt  to  mistake  the  warmth  and  eagerness, 
which  they  excite,  for  a  real,  personal  interest  in  religion 
itself. 

The  object  at  which  all  the  means  and  institutions  of 
the  Gospel  aim,  is  purity  of  heart  and  life ;  without  this, 
its  purpose  is  not  answered.  Men  may  say  what  they 
will ;  but  Christ  and  his  Apostles  teach  us,  that  we  have 
no  more  religion  than  we  have  moral  goodness,  no  more 
piety  than  we  have  virtue.  All  the  professions,  all  the 
fervor,  all  the  excitement  in  the  world  are  as  erppty  and 
unmeaning,  as  the  babbling  of  a  noisy  brook,  if  they  do 
not  make  us  better.  And  by  this,  I  mean  really  and  prac¬ 
tically  better,  as  Christians  and  as  members  of  society.  I 
do  not  mean  making  us  think  ourselves  a  great  deal  better 
than  all  the  rest  of  the  world,  and  say  in  the  spirit  of 
the  Pharisee  of  old — “  God,  I  thank  thee  that  I  am  not 
as  other  men  are/’  and  deny  the  name  and  character  of 
Christians  to  those  around  us,  whose  lives  and  conduct 
are  at  least  as  near  the  Christian  standard,  as  our  own. 

VOL.  II.  2 


14 


OX  EXPERIMENTAL  RELIGION. 


50 


We  are  free  to  confess,  that  the  only  experimental  religion, 
which  we  deem  valuable,  is  that  which  consists  in  being 
good  and  doing  good  on  Christian  principles  and  with 
Christian  motives, — and  not  that,  which  consists  only  or 
mainly  in  certain  floating  feelings  and  mysterious  trans¬ 
actions  between  God  and  the  soul.  The  man,  whose 
life  manifests  that  the  flame  of  piety  is  burning,  like  a 
holy  fire,  upon  the  altar  of  the  heart  within,  who,  like 
his  Saviour,  44  goes  about  doing  good,”  who  lives  under 
a  solemn  sense  of  his  accountableness  in  the  sight  of 
God,  who  receives  the  blessings,  that  fall  to  his  lot,  with 
a  devout  remembrance  of  the  great  source  from  which 
they  come,  and  bows  himself  to  affliction  with  a  full  per¬ 
suasion  that  it  is  administered  by  the  hand  of  paternal 
mercy,  and  with  the  spirit  of  submission  that  says,  44  Fa¬ 
ther,  not  my  will,  but  thine  be  done/'  who  habitually 
connects  in  his  thoughts  earth  with  heaven,  and  time 
with  eternity,  who  “  uses  this  world,  as  not  abusing  it, 
remembering  that  the  fashion  thereof  passeth  away,” 
who  daily  lives  “  as  seeing  God  who  is  invisible,”  never 
forgetting  that  44  the  things  which  are  seen  are  temporal, 
while  the  things  that  are  unseen  are  eternal,” — this  is  he, 
who  has,  in  the  only  proper  and  Gospel  sense,  experimen¬ 
tal  religion ,  for  he  only  it  is,  who  gives  an  undeniable 
and  standing  proof,  that  Christianity  is  with  him  a  prac¬ 
tical,  guiding,  governing  principle  of  conduct. 

These,  then,  we  conceive  to  be  the  elementary  prin¬ 
ciples  of  what  may  be  truly  called  experimental  religion  ; 
first,  that  the  great  truths  of  Christianity  must  be  hearti* 
ly  received  as  strong  and  distinct  realities  ;  second,  that 
they  must  be  embraced  in  their  application  to  ourselves 
personally,  as  something  in  which  we  have  a  peculiar 


51 


ON  EXPERIMENTAL  RELIGION. 


15 


concern  ;  and  third,  that  they  must  become  principles  ot 
conduct,  pervading  the  life,  sanctifying  the  motives,  and 
forming  the  habits  of  the  soul.  In  this  explanation  of 
the  subject,  I  think,  we  have  the  sanction  alike  of  Scrip¬ 
ture  and  of  reason,  and  are  unembarrassed  by  any  thing 
of  a  fanatical  or  visionary  nature. 

From  this  statement,  it  is  plain  that  experimental  re¬ 
ligion,  taken  in  its  true  sense,  is  not  to  be  acquired  or  fin¬ 
ished  by  one  effort  or  by  one  process.  Some  people 
talk  of  experiencing  religion  at  a  particular  time,  as  it 
it  were  to  be  done  but  once,  or  all  at  once.  This  is 
certainly  a  very  strange  notion.  We  must  experience 
religion,  not  once  merely,  or  at  a  certain  time,  but  every 
day  and  at  all  times  ;  that  is,  religion  must  always  be  at 
our  side,  as  our  guide,  counsellor,  friend,  and  support. 
It  must  be  interwoven  with  our  whole  moral  and  spirit¬ 
ual  frame.  It  must  enter  into  the  composition  of  the 
character  in  all  its  parts,  and  not  be  borne  in  upon  it, 
as  a  distinct,  independent,  foreign  substance.  It  does 
not  come  at  a  particular  moment,  like  the  sudden  ar¬ 
rival  of  a  stranger,  who  merely  takes  up  his  abode  with 
us,  without  feeling  any  interest  in  our  every  day  business 
and  pursuits;  it  is  rather  an  unreserved  and  familiar 
friend,  whose  intimacy  grows  every  day  more  close  and 
dear,  and  who  enters  constantly  and  heartily  into  all 
the  common  cares  and  duties,  which  “  the  Providence 
of  God  hath  adopted  into  the  family  of  religion.”  In 
short,  its  true  nature  cannot  be  so  well  set  forth,  as  in 
that  beautiful  description  by  our  Saviour ;  “  And  he 
said,  so  is  the  kingdom  of  God,  as  if  a  man  should  cast 
seed  into  the  ground,  and  should  sleep  and  rise  night 
and  day,  and  the  seed  should  spring  and  grow  up,  he 


16 


ON  EXPERIMENTAL  RELIGION. 


52 


knoweth  not  how.  For  the  earth  bringeth  forth  fruit 
of  herself,  first  the  blade,  then  the  ear,  after  that  the 
full  corn  in  the  ear.75 

And  now  if  you  ask,  how  this  experimental  religion  is 
to  be  acquired,  the  answer  is,  by  the  use  of  the  means 
which  God  has  appointed  for  the  purpose.  These  means 
are  the  habitual  study  of  the  Scriptures,  especially  of 
the  words  of  Jesus  Christ,  devout  and  heartfelt  prayer, 
attendance  upon  the  institutions  and  ordinances  of  the 
Gospel,  the  perusal  of  good  books,  a  serious  improvement 
of  the  events  of  God’s  providence,  &c.  Those  afflictive 
dispensations,  which  bring  our  thoughts  to  a  solemn 
pause,  are  our  teachers  ;  the  examples  of  the  good  and 
the  bad  are  our  teachers ;  death  is  our  teacher :  and 
Christianity,  properly  understood,  is  a  system  of  means 
for  the  formation  of  a  holy  character,  for  the  purifi¬ 
cation  of  the  heart,  and  the  salvation  of  the  soul.  In  all 
these  ways  is  experimental  religion  to  be  acquired. 

In  saying  this,  I  do  not  deny  that  spiritual  influences 
from  above  are  concerned  in  the  production  of  a  religious 
frame  of  mind.  On  the  contrary,  I  believe  most  sincerely 
in  those  influences,  when  explained  scripturally  and  ra¬ 
tionally  ;  but  I  do  not  believe  that  ecstacies,  and  visions, 
and  vicissitudes  of  the  animal  spirits  are  those  influences. 
The  agency  of  the  spirit  of  God  comes  to  us  now  in 
the  channel  of  appointed  means,  or  coincides  with  the 
operation  of  these  means,  so  as  not  to  be  distinguished 
from  them.  If  it  be  not  so,  then  the  age  of  miracles  has 
not,  as  is  commonly  supposed,  gone  by.  Men  are  too  apt 
to  be  dissatisfied  with  the  moral  constitution  of  things,  as 
established  by  God.  The  regular  means  of  religion  seem 
tame  and  spiritless  to  diseased  imaginations  ;  they  crave 


53 


ON  EXPERIMENTAL  RELIGION. 


17 


something  out  of  the  common  course,  an  inspiration 
from  above  pointed  at  the  individual,  a  peculiar  call, 
a  privileged  selection  from  the  rest  of  mankind.  But 
the  Gospel  bids  us  expect  no  such  thing  ;  and  it  deserves 
well  to  be  considered  by  every  one,  whether  the  kind  of 
religion,  which  is  acquired  in  this  way,  be  so  likely  to  be 
strong,  useful,  and  permanent, — in  short,  to  be  really  ex¬ 
perimental  religion ,  as  that,  which  has  become  engrained 
in  the  whole  texture  of  the  soul  by  a  long  and  gradual 
process,  is  connected  with  every  principle  of  moral  action, 
and  operates  like  a  good  leaven  in  the  whole  of  the  life 
and  character.  The  celebrated  Dr  Owen,  who  was  one  of 
the  most  eminent  champions  of  “  orthodoxy”  in  his  day, 
has  well  remarked  that,  £<  as  water,  that  ariseth  and  flow- 
eth  from  a  living  spring,  runneth  equally  and  constantly, 
unless  it  be  obstructed  or  diverted  by  some  violent  oppo¬ 
sition,  but  that,  which  is  from  thunder-showers,  runs  furi¬ 
ously  for  a  season,  but  is  quickly  dried  up ;  so  are  those 
spiritual  thoughts,  which  arise  from  a  prevalent  internal 
principle  of  grace  in  the  heart ;  they  are  even  and  con¬ 
stant,  unless  an  interruption  be  put  upon  them  for  a  season 
by  temptations;  but  those,  which  are  excited  by  the 
thunder  of  convictions,  however  their  streams  may  be 
filled  for  a  season,  quickly  dry  up  and  utterly  decay.” 

Finally — We  think  that  religion  is  experienced  differ¬ 
ently  by  different  individuals  ;  in  some,  by  a  more  striking 
and  rapid  operation  of  the  means  of  grace,  than  ordinary  ; 
in  others,  by  a  gradual  and  quiet  incorporation  of  Christ¬ 
ianity  into  the  soul  from  childhood  to  old  age.  The  remark 
has  been  made,  and  it  is  an  excellent  one,  that  “  we  should 
neither  prescribe  our  personal  experiences  and  feelings  as 
a  rule  for  others,  nor  make  the  experiences  and  feelings  of 


18 


ON  EXPERIMENTAL  RELIGION. 


54 


others  a  law  to  us.”  We  do  not  think  that  experimental  re¬ 
ligion  is  showy  and  noisy,  that  it  seeks  public  exhibitions, 
and  is  not  satisfied  till  it  has  been  registered  before  the 
world,  or  that  it  loves  to  blow  a  trumpet,  or  hang  out  a  flag  ; 
for  we  are  accustomed  to  believe  that  quick  and  ostenta¬ 
tious  effects  are  not  generally  the  best  effects,  nor  the  only 
true  indications  of  the  progress  of  real  Christianity,  nor 
the  only  sure  evidences  of  the  blessing  of  Heaven  upon 
a  pastor’s  labors.  We  do  not  deem  that  sort  of  commo¬ 
tion  to  be  very  desirable,  in  the  confusion  of  which  the 
mind  mistakes  the  glow  of  emotion  for  permanent  piety, 
and  the  fervors  of  imagination  for  signs  of  grace  ;  for 
we  have  seen  enough  to  convince  us  that  the  whole  soul 
may  be  smitten  down  in  fear  and  despair,  or  lifted  up 
with  swelling  raptures,  without  any  impressions  being  pro¬ 
duced,  which  are  permanently  religious.  We  think  our¬ 
selves  justified  in  supposing  it  to  be  spiritual  pride,  rather 
that  an  experience  of  religion,  which  leads  men  to  speak 
of  their  fellow  Christians  as  children  of  darkness  and  of 
wrath,  to  pity  the  whole  world  besides  themselves,  to  re¬ 
gard  and  to  talk  of  the  inclosures,  within  which  their 
sects  have  fenced  themselves,  as  a  kind  of  privileged 
Goshen,  and  to  thank  God,  with  a  very  strange  sort  of  grat¬ 
itude,  that  he  has  made  them  so  much  wiser  and  holier 
than  other  human  beings.  We  do  not  think,  that  an  ex¬ 
perimental  acquaintance  with  Christianity  requires  us  to 
make  boastful  comparisons  of  ourselves  with  others,  nor 
to  point  the  finger  of  reproach  at  such  of  our  fellow  men, 
as  do  not  see  with  our  eyes  on  religious  subjects.  But  we 
do  believe,  that  experimental  religion  is  a  religion  which 
is  seated  in  the  heart,  and  sends  out  thence  its  influences 
on  the  life  ;  that  it  is  a  principle  of  internal  purity  and 


55 


ON  EXPERIMENTAL  RELIGION. 


19 


heavenly  mindedness  ;  that  it  is  something  very  different 
from  that  pretended  religion  which  enlightens  perhaps, 
but  does  not  warm  •  very  different  from  that  empty  form 
of  Christianity  which  floats  around  the  heart,  without 
ever  becoming  a  sanctifying  power,  and  which  leaves  men 
with  a  name  to  live,  yet  dead  ;  that  it  brings  the  truths 

of  the  Gospel  home  to  the  bosoms  and  consciences  of 

» 

mankind,  and  thus  awakens  the  sinner  from  the  sleep  of 
spiritual  death  and  animates  the  saint  to  a  still  better  pro¬ 
gress  in  the  Christian  course ;  that  its  essence  is  in  that 
faith  which  works  by  love,  without  which  it  is  impossible 
to  please  God,  and  in  that  holy  life,  which  to  use  the 
words  of  a  pious  writer — “  is  the  only  perfection  of  re¬ 
pentance,  and  the  firm  ground  upon  which  we  can  cast 
the  anchor  of  hope  in  the  mercies  of  God  through  Jesus 
Christ.”  Such  we  conceive  Experimental  Religion  to 
be ;  and  our  prayer,  and  we  trust  our  labor  is,  that  it 
“  may  have  free  course,  and  be  glorified." 


) 


1st  series. 


No.  20. 


ON 


THE  DOCTRINE 

OF  TWO  NATURES  IN 

JESUS  CHRIST. 


BY  ALVAN  BAMSOAT. 


PRINTED  TOR  THE 

American  Unitarian  Association. 


BOSTON, 

BOWLES  AND  DEARBORN,  50,  WASHINGTON  STREET. 

1828. 


Price  5  Cents . 


The  present  tract  is,  in  part,  a  reprint  of  an  article  contributed 
by  the  author  to  the  fifth  volume  of  the  “  Unitarian  Miscellany,” 
and  afterwards  published  in  a  separate  form,  and  entitled  “  An 
Essay  on  the  Doctrine  of  two  natures  in  Jesus  Christ.”  The 
greater  part  has  been  rewritten,  and  some  important  arguments 
and  illustrations  added. 


BOSTON, 

Press  of  I.  R.  Butts  &  Co. 


DOCTRINE  OF  TWO  NATURES 


IN 

JESUS  CHRIST. 


The  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  is  embarrassed  with  nu¬ 
merous  difficulties,  and  these  difficulties  multiply  and 
strengthen,  in  proportion  as  its  several  parts  and  append¬ 
ages  are  brought  distinctly  into  view.  The  hypothesis 
of  two  natures  in  Jesus  Christ  we  deem  one  of  its  hea¬ 
viest  encumbrances.  The  trinity  supposes  the  truth  of 
this  hypothesis  ;  it  may  be  said,  in  fact,  to  rest  upon 
it  as  its  basis,  and  with  it  must  stand  or  fall.  This 
circumstance  has  not,  we  fear,  received  the  attention 
it  deserves.  It  is  true  that  the  advocates  for  the 
strict  and  proper  unity  of  the  Divine  Being,  have  "oc¬ 
casionally  argued  from  the  absurdity  of  ascribing  to  an 
individual  a  finite  and  an  infinite  nature,  but  the  argu¬ 
ment  has  not  been  urged  with  due  frequency  and  earnest¬ 
ness.  For  ourselves,  we  place  great  reliance  upon  it  *, 
it  has  a  force,  we  think,  which  is  not  easily  resisted  ; 
and  could  we  bring  no  other,  we  should  consider  this 
alone  sufficient  to  put  the  question  of  the  truth  or  false¬ 
hood  of  opposite  views  at  rest  for  ever. 


4 


DOCTRINE  OF  TWO  NATURES 


184 


Let  us  carefully  weigh  the  doctrine  of  a  double  nature 
in  Jesus  Christ ;  let  us  see  to  what  it  amounts,  and 
take  a  view  of  some  of  the  chief  objections  to  it.  But 
first,  let  us  glance  at  its  origin  and  history  in  the  early 
ages  of  the  church. 

We  gather  from  ancient  records,  that  the  great  bulk  of 
plain  unlettered  believers,  who  derived  their  knowledge  of 
Christianity  from  its  first  preachers  and  their  immediate 
successors,  viewed  Jesus  as  a  finite  and  dependent  be¬ 
ing.  That  this  is  true  of  the  whole  body  of  Jewish 
Christians,  during  their  existence  as  a  church,  admits  of 
no  doubt.  The  uneducated  Gentile  converts,  whose  minds 
were  not  fettered  by  the  prejudices  of  learning,  partook 
of  the  same  views.  The  doctrine  of  Christ’s  proper  di¬ 
vinity  appears  to  have  encountered  from  them  the  stern¬ 
est  opposition  ;  they  dreaded  it  on  account  of  its  sup¬ 
posed  impiety,  thinking,  that  it  infringed  on  the  supre¬ 
macy  of  the  Father,  and  it  was  not  till  it  had  sustained 
severe  and  protracted  struggles,  that  it  finally  obtained 
currency. 

The  learned  converts  from  Paganism  are  entitled  to 
the  credit  of  introducing  it.  These  converts,  several 
of  them  at  least,  came  fresh  from  the  schools  of  Alexan¬ 
dria  in  Egypt,  where  they  had  become  deeply  imbued 
with  the  doctrines  of  the  later  Platonists,  and  on  em¬ 
bracing  Christianity  took  along  with  them  the  sentiments 
there  imbibed.  The  consequence  was,  that  as  early  as 
the  former  part  of  the  second  century,  the  religion  of 
Jesus  began  to  be  corrupted,  and  its  simple  truths  be¬ 
came  disfigured,  by  an  unnatural  union  with  a  specula¬ 
tive  and  earth-born  philosophy. 

Justin  Martyr,  A.  D.  140,  led  the  way  by  transferring 


185 


IN  JESUS  CHRIST. 


the  Platonic  doctrine  of  the  divine  reason  (logos)  to 
Christianity.  This  reason,  originally  considered  an  attri¬ 
bute  of  the  Father,  he  converted  into  a  proper  person, 
making  it  to  constitute  the  divine  nature  of  Jesus.  The 
first  step  having  been  taken,  further  innovations  followed, 
and  the  work  of  corruption  soon  went  on  apace.  It  was 
aided  in  its  progress  by  Clemens  of  Alexandria,  A.  D. 
192,  and  especially  by  Origen,  A.  D.  239,  a  man  of 
subtle  and  fervid  genius,  but  of  an  extravagant  imagina¬ 
tion,  and  weak  judgment,  and  a  very  prolific  writer.  The 
fame  of  Origen  attracted  numerous  followers,  who,  after¬ 
wards  dispersing  into  various  parts,  Cl  everywhere,”  to 
use  an  expression  of  the  learned  Brucker,  “  sowed  the 
field  of  God  with  tares.” 

The  doctrine  of  the  trinity,  however,  as  explained  by 
the  Fathers  of  the  first  three  centuries,  we  feel  author¬ 
ized  to  say,  was  very  different  from  the  modern  orthodox 
doctrine.  The  perfect  equality  of  the  Son  with  the 
Father  they  never  dreamed  of  asserting.  Justin  Martyr, 
as  the  complexion  of  his  whole  language  testifies,  evi¬ 
dently  held  the  belief  of  his  strict  and  proper  inferiority  ; 
and  such  seems  to  have  been  the  faith  of  all  the  Christian 
writers  of  any  celebrity  before  the  Council  of  Nice, 
A.  D.  325.  It  is  unnecessary  to  adduce  passages  in 
corroboration  of  this  statement,  as  its  truth  has  been 
admitted  by  several  learned  trinitarians  best  acquainted 
with  the  writings  of  Christian  antiquity.  Among  those 
who  have  conceded  it  fully,  or  in  substance,  it  is  suffi¬ 
cient  to  mention  the  learned  Jesuit  Petavius,  and  Cud- 
worth,  the  profound  author  of  the  “  Intellectual  System,” 
both  orthodox  authorities. 

The  Fathers  of  the  Council  of  Nice  asserted  the  di- 

i* 


VOL.  II. 


(5 


DOCTRINE  OF  TWO  NATURES 


1SG 


vinity  of  the  Son,  but  not  his  individual  identity  with  the 
Father.  He  was  consubstantial ,  as  they  expressed  it, 
with  the  Father,  that  is,  as  they  understood  it,  was  in 
all  respects  similar,  partook  of  the  same  specific  nature, 
though  not  of  the  same  numerical  essence  ;  as  one  man  is 
of  the  same  substance,  or  species,  with  another,  though 
possessing  distinct  individuality.  The  Councils  of  Ephe¬ 
sus,  A.  D.  431,  and  Chalcedon,  A.  D.  451,  occasioned 
by  the  controversies  of  the  Nestorians  and  Eutychians, 
the  former  of  whom  were  accused  of  dividing  the  person, 
and  the  latter  of  confounding  the  natures,  of  Jesus  Christ, 
appear  to  have  succeeded  but  little  better  than  that  of 
Nice  in  defining  his  divinity,  though  they  undertook  to 
determine  the  nature  and  results  of  its  union  with  hu¬ 
manity.  The  Council  of  Chalcedon,  particularly,  claims 
the  merit  of  having  ascertained  and  settled  the  doctrine 
of  the  incarnation,  which,  according  to  its  creed,  is  in 
substance  as  follows.  Jesus  Christ  is  truly  God  and 
man ,  perfect  in  both  natures ,  consiibstantial  with  the  Fa¬ 
ther  with  respect  to  his  divinity ,  and  consubstantial  with 
us  with  respect  to  his  humanity;  the  two  natures ,  the 
divine  and  human ,  are  indissolubly  united  in  him  without 
confusion  or  change ,  each  retaining  all  its  former  attri¬ 
butes ,  yet  so  united  as  to  form  one  person . 

The  doctrine  of  the  union  of  the  divine  and  human 
natures  in  the  person  of  Jesu3  Christ,  as  held  by  the  or¬ 
thodox  of  succeeding  ages,  and  received  by  trinitarians 
of  the  present  day,  does  not  differ  in  any  important  par¬ 
ticulars  from  that  established  by  the  council  of  Chalce¬ 
don,  except,  perhaps,  that  the  term  consubstantial ,  which 
the  Fathers  of  that  council,  to  preserve  consistency,  must 
have  explained  to  mean  only  a  specific ,  would  be  under- 


187 


IN  JESUS  CHRIST. 


4 

stood  by  the  moderns  to  express  an  individual  or  numer¬ 
ical  identity. 

Dr  Barrow,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  of  the  old 
English  divines,  thus  expresses  himself  on  the  subject. 
“  We  may,  with  the  holy  Fathers,  and  particularly  with 
the  great  council  of  Chalcedon,  assert,  that  in  the  incar¬ 
nation  of  our  1  ord,  the  two  natures,  the  divine  and  hu¬ 
man,  were  united,  without  any  confusion  or  commixtion  ; 
for  such  a  way  of  blending  would  induce  a  third  nature 
different  from  both  ;  such  a  commixtion  being  supposed, 
our  Lord  would  be  neither  God  nor  man,  but  another 
third  kind  of  substance,  that  would  destroy,  diminish,  or 
alter  the  properties  of  each ;  which  is  unsound  to  say, 
and  impossible  to  be  ;  wherefore  both  natures  in  this 
mystery  do  subsist  entire,  distinct,  and  unconfused,  each 
retaining  its  essential  and  natural  properties.'’ 

After  some  further  remarks  of  a  similar  character,  he 
adds,  “  The  natures  were  joined  undividedly  ; — there  is 
but  one  Christ ,  one  person,  to  whom,  being  God,  and 
being  man,  are  truly  and  properly  attributed.” 

“  The  same  person  never  ceased  to  be  both  God  and 
man  ;  not  even  then,  when  our  Lord  as  man  did  undergo 
death  ;  for  he  raised  himself  from  the  dead,  he  reared 
the  temple  of  his  own  body,  being  fallen ;  as  being  God, 
he  was  able  to  raise  himself,  as  being  man,  he  was  capa¬ 
ble  of  being  raised  by  himself ;  the  union  between  God 
and  man  persisting,  when  the  union  between  human 
body  and  soul  was  dissolved.”* 

The  church  of  England,  following  in  the  steps  of  the 
unreformed  Catholic  church,  determines  that,  “  the  Son 
— took  man’s  nature — so  that  two  whole  and  perfect  na~ 


*  E^rrow’s  Works,  Vol.  ii.  p.  255.  Ed.  1716. 


8 


DOCTRINE  OF  TWO  NATURES 


188 


tures,  that  is  to  say,  the  Godhead  and  manhood  were 
joined  together  in  one  person,  never  to  be  divided,  where¬ 
of  is  one  Christ,  very  God  and  very  man.3'  Art.  sec. — 
It  is  added  by  an  expositor,  the  essential  properties  of 
one  nature  were  not  communicated  to  the  other  nature 
— each  kept  his  respective  properties  distinct,  without 
the  least  confusion  in  their  most  intimate  union.33* 

il  In  whatever  way,33  says  Professor  Stuart,  “  the 
union  of  the  two  natures  was  effected,  it  neither  de¬ 
stroyed  nor  essentially  changed  either  the  divine  or  the 
human  nature.33  He  supposes  Christ  to  be  “  God  omnis¬ 
cient  and  omnipotent ;  and  still  a  feeble  man  of  imperfect 
knowledge.33 

It  is  unnecessary  to  add  more  to  show  what  the  re¬ 
ceived  opinion  on  this  subject  is. — The  doctrine  of  the 
union  of  the  two  natures  in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ, 
in  the  form  in  which  it  is  stated  in  the  above  extracts,  is 
admitted,  as  far  as  we  know,  by  all  genuine  trinitarians* 
No  one  of  them  doubts  that  Christ  was  perfect  man  ;  no 
one  of  them  professes  to  doubt  that  he  was  also  perfect 
God.  According  to  this  doctrine,  when  fairly  stated,  an 
infinite  nature  with  all  its  essential  attributes  of  omnis¬ 
cience,  omnipotence,  necessary  and  everlasting  exist¬ 
ence,  incapable  of  suffering  or  change,  was  indissolubly 
united  in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ,  with  a  finite  nature, 
with  all  its  properties,  as  imperfect  knowledge,  weakness, 
exposure  to  sorrow,  pain,  and  death,  in  such  a  manner, 
that  the  two  natures  remain  for  ever  distinct,  each  retain¬ 
ing  unaltered  all  its  former  attributes. 

Now  to  this  extraordinary  doctrine  we  have  several 
strong  objections.  Before  proceeding  to  state  them, 

*  Prettyman,  Elements  of  Christian  Theology,  Vol.  ii. 


189 


IN  JESUS  CHRIST. 


9 


however,  we  will  pause  to  make  one  observation  suggest¬ 
ed  by  the  foregoing  narrative.  If  is  this:  There  is  a 
strong  antecedent  probability,  that  the  doctrine  will  be 
found,  upon  examination,  to  be  equally  unsupported  by 
scripture  and  by  reason.  It  appears  from  ecclesiastical 
history  that  the  simple  and  unlearned  Christians  of  the 
earlier  and  purer  ages  of  the  church  knew  nothing  about 
it;  that  the  first  traces  of  it  are  found  among  the  learned 
Platonizing  converts  ;  that  its  features  were  at  first  rudo 
and  imperfect ;  that  it  from  time  to  time  received  modifi¬ 
cations  and  additions  as  the  disciples  of  the  Egyptian 
philosophy,  the  most  absurd  that  ever  disgraced  the  hu¬ 
man  intellect,  flowed  i  ito  the  church  ;  that  it  wTas  long 
opposed  on  account  of  its  antichristian  tendency  ;  that  so 
late  as  the  end  of  the  third  century,  it  had  not  succeeded 
in  eradicating  from  the  minds  of  the  generality  of  Chris¬ 
tians,  learned  or  unlearned,  the  great  doctrine  of  the  in¬ 
ferior  and  derived  nature  of  the  Son  ;  and  finally,  that  it 
gathered  strength  and  was  matured  amid  storms  of  con¬ 
troversy,  at  a  time  when  the  principles  of  sound  criticism 
and  just  reasoning  had  fallen  into  contempt.  That  such 
a  doctrine,  growing  up  with  the  worst  philosophy  of  the 
worst  times,  should  originally  have  sprung  from  the  bo¬ 
som  of  Christianity,  and  not  from  the  vicious  systems  of 
human  speculation,  in  the  midst  of  which  it  was  nur¬ 
tured,  that  it  should  have  remained  hidden  for  years  in 
the  records  of  our  Saviour’s  instructions,  and  the  writings 
of  his  apostles,  and  its  existence  there  not  have  been 
suspected  till  the  Alexandrian  Platonists  pointed  it  out, 
is  a  supposition  altogether  too  extravagant  for  credit. 
Its  late  rise,  in  union  with  the  philosophical  jargon  of  the 
age,  to  which  it  was  wedded,  and  from  which  it  was  con« 


10 


DOCTRINE  OF  TWO  NATURES 


190 


te  <t  to  tv  rrow  its  terms  and  illustrations,  renders  it  diffi¬ 
cult,  if  not  impossible,  for  us  to  believe,  that  it  was  one 
of  the  truths,  which  either  our  Saviour  or  his  apostles 
were  commissioned  to  impart  to  the  world.  In  tracing 
its  history,  indeed,  we  gather,  at  every  step,  evidence  of 
its  human  and  earthly  origin. 

Our  piincipal  objections  to  the  orthodox  distinction 
of  two  natures  in  Jesus  Christ  are,  that  it  involves  an  ab¬ 
surdity  ;  that  it  destroys  the  personal  unity  of  Jesus,  and 
introduces  strange  perplexity  into  our  conceptions  of  his 
character  ;  that  it  exposes  him  to  the  charge  of  equivoca¬ 
tion  and  dishonesty  ;  that  it  destroys  the  efficacy  of  his 
example,  and  nullifies  his  instructions  ;  that  it  is  unne¬ 
cessary,  and  fails  of  the  object  for  which  it  is  alleged  to  be 
wanted  ;  that  it  thus  carries  with  it  irresistible  evidence 
of  its  falsehood,  it  bears  all  the  marks  of  a  most  improba¬ 
ble  and  extravagant  fiction  ;  and  finally,  that  after  the 
most  careful  search,  we  find  no  traces  of  it  in  the  sacred 
writings. 

In  the  first  place,  we  think  that  the  doctrine  of  two 
natures  in  Jesus  Christ,  as  held  by  its  advocates,  is  ab¬ 
surd,  and  consequently  that  no  evidence  whatever  would 
be  sufficient  to  establish  it.  Before  we  believe  it,  we 
must  abandon  the  use  of  our  understandings  ;  we  must 
free  ourselves  from  a  disposition  to  weigh  evidence ; 
we  must  have  the  convenient  pliancy  of  mind,  the 
happy  facility  of  belief,  to  which  the  good  father  had 
attained,  when  he  said,  “  I  believe,  because  it  is  impossi¬ 
ble. ”  If  we  reflect  for  a  moment  on  the  qualities  of  the 
divine  and  human  natures,  we  must,  one  would  think, 
be  convinced,  that  they  can  never  be  united  in  the  same 
mind  or  person.  They  are  absolutely  incompatible  with 


191 


IN  JESUS  CHRIST, 


11 


each  other ;  they  cannot  possibly  exist  together  in  the 
same  intelligent  agent.  What  are  the  attributes  of  the 
divine  and  human  natures'?  God  is  infinite,  everlasting, 
immutable,  omnipotent,  omniscient,  and  infallible.  Man 
is  finite,  limited  in  knowledge  and  power,  weak,  erring, 
subject  to  vicissitude,  disease,  and  death.  Now,  let  any 
one,  who  ventures  to  use  his  understanding,  say  whether 
these  qualities  are  compatible  with  each  other.  For  our¬ 
selves,  we  think  they  are  such,  that  their  union  in  the 
same  being  is  naturally  impossible.  It  i  the  union  of 
infinite  and  finite,  of  knowledge  and  ignorance,  of  power 
and  weakness,  of  perfection  and  imperfection.  We  may 
as  well  talk  of  the  union  of  light  and  darkness,  or  of 
any  two  qualities,  of  which  the  one  necessarily  implies 
the  negation  or  absence  of  the  other. 

What  is  the  consequence  of  the  union  of  divine  and 
human  attributes  in  the  same  mind  or  being,  on  the  sup¬ 
position,  admitted  by  trinitarians,  that  the  two  natures 
remain  distinct,  none  of  the  qualities  of  either  being 
lost  or  changed  1  Why,  that  a  being  may  be  at  the 
same  time  infinite  and  finite  ;  that  he  may  be  omnipo¬ 
tent,  yet  partake  of  weakness  and  infirmity,  and  be 
unable  of  himself  to  do  all  things ;  that  he  may  be  om¬ 
niscient,  yet  be  ignorant  of  many  things  ;  that  he  may 
be  the  Author  of  the  universe,  yet  a  wailing  infant, 
wrapped  in  swaddling  clothes,  and  lying  in  a  manger ; 
a  being  incapable  of  pain  and  suffering,  yet  a  man  of 
sorrows,  who  expired  on  the  cross,  was  placed  in  a 
shroud,  and  slept  in  the  tomb.  Now  if  this  be  not 
contradiction  and  absurdity,  we  confess  we  know  not 
what  contradiction  and  absurdity  are. 

We  do  not  think  our  opponents  very  fortunate  in  their 


12 


DOCTRINE  OP  TWO  NATURES 


192 


attempts  to  illustrate  the  doctrine  of  two  natures  in 
Jesus  Christ  by  comparison.  Thus  we  are  told,  that 
for  an  explanation  of  it  we  must  look  into  ourselves, 
and  consider  the  union  of  soul  and  body  in  man  ;  “  for 
as  the  reasonable  soul  and  flesh  is  one  man,  so  God  and 
man  is  one  Christ.5’  Such  is  the  language  of  the  Atha- 
nasian  creed.  The  comparison  it  sugg  *sts  has  been  a 
favorite  one  with  the  assertors  of  the  theological  doctrine 
of  the  incarnation,  from  the  time  this  doctrine  came  into 
vogue  to  the  present  day.  That  such  has  been  the  fact, 
we  think  a  remarkable  instance  of  the  effect  of  heredi¬ 
tary  prejudices  in  blinding  the  understanding,  and  of  the 
lamentable  weakness  of  human  nature,  which  induces 
men  to  listen  to  flimsy  argument  and  mere  sophistry, 
when  employed  in  the  support  of  received  opinions. 

The  comparison  of  the  two  natures  of  Jesus  Christ 
with  the  union  of  spirit  and  body  in  ourselves,  may  serve 
to  introduce  confusion  and  darkness  into  a  person’s  ideas, 
in  consequence  of  which  he  may  lose  sight  of  the  absur¬ 
dity  of  the  hypothesis,  which  it  is  meant  to  illustrate  ; — 
perhaps  he  may  think,  that  he  has,  at  length,  hit  upon  a 
parallel,  which  solves  all  difficulties.  But  a  little  sober 
reflection,  we  think,  must  abate  his  confidence.  To  us 
the  two  cases  appear  totally  dissimilar.  Man  is  a  com¬ 
plex  being,  very  different  from  that  compound  being, 
which  Christ  is  represented  by  our  adversaries  to  be. 
If  you  admit  the  common  distinction,  and  say  that  man 
is  made  up  of  matter  and  spirit,  and  then  inquire  what 
is  his  nature,  the  only  general  and  intelligible  answer 
to  this  inquiry  is,  that  it  is  those  properties,  corporeal 
and  mental,  which  result  from  his  constitution  and  phy¬ 
sical  organization  ;  that  is,  all  those  qualities,  which  con- 


193 


IN  JESUS  CHRIST. 


13 


stitute  him  what  in  his  present  state  he  is.  Now  it  can¬ 
not  be  said,  that  any  of  these  qualities  are  incompatible 
with  others.  There  is  nothing  in  any  of  them,  which 
makes  it  a  contradiction  or  absurdity  to  suppose,  that 
they  may  all  exist  together  in  the  same  subject.  You 
may,  indeed,  affirm  of  apart,  what  is  not  true  of  the  whole 
of  man.  You  may  say  of  his  body,  that  it  has  extension 
and  solidity,  and  attribute  to  his  mind  perception,  memo¬ 
ry,  judgment ;  but  here  is  no  contradiction.  You  do  not 
attribute  to  him,  as  an  individual  or  whole ,  opposite  qual¬ 
ities.  You  do  not  ascribe  to  his  person  qualities  or 
acts  so  utterly  repugnant,  that  one  necessarily  excludes  the 
other,  as  light  excludes  darkness,  or  omnipotence,  weak¬ 
ness.  Our  objection  to  the  union  of  two  natures  in  the 
person  of  Jesus  Christ,  is,  that  it  brings  together  an  assem¬ 
blage  of  qualities,  which  are  incompatible  with  each  other  ; 
that  it  ascribes  to  Christ,  as  an  individual  or  person , 
properties  between  which  there  is  such  an  utter  repug¬ 
nance,  such  direct  opposition,  that  they  cannot  exist  to¬ 
gether  in  the  same  subject.  Trinitarians  affirm,  that  Christ 
is  perfect  God  and  perfect  man  ;  consequently  he  must 
have  all  the  qualities  of  both,  as  omnipotence  and  weak¬ 
ness,  infallibility  and  fallibility,  infinite  knowledge  and 
limited  and  partial  information  ;  and  these  qualities  are 
affirmed  of  him  in  a  personal  character.  Man  presents 
no  phenomenon  resembling  this;  no  such  combination  of 
incongruous  and  opposite  qualities. 

To  say  of  Christ,  that  he  is  divine  and  human,  infi¬ 
nite  and  finite,  omnipotent  and  weak,  is  to  assert  nothing 
more  strange  or  mysterious,  it  is  contended,  than  to  af¬ 
firm  of  man  that  he  is  mortal  and  immortal.  But  the 
fallacy  of  this  statement  is  quite  obvious.  The  expres- 

VOL.  II.  2 


14 


DOCTRINE  OF  TWO  NATURES 


194 


sions  in  question  do  not  belong  to  the  same  class,  nor 
have  they  any  real,  but  only  a  seeming  resemblance. 
When  we  say  that  man  is  mortal  and  immortal,  we  do 
not  employ  terms,  which,  in  the  connexion  in  which 
they  stand,  have  any  opposition  or  repugnance  ;  they 
are  not,  in  fact,  opposites  ;  they  convey  no  incompatible 
ideas.  What  we  affirm  in  one  part  of  the  proposition  we 
do  not  deny  in  the  other.  By  the  assertion,  man  is  mor¬ 
tal,  we  mean  that  his  present  mode  of  existence  will 
cease,  and  by  the  assertion  that  he  is  immortal,  we  mean 
that  he  will  continue  in  b e i n 2T  for  ever.  The  two  asser- 
tions  are  distinct,  but  not  opposed.  We  affirm  simply 
that  man  will  under £0  a  chancre  at  death,  but  that  this 
change  will  not  amount  to  an  absolute  annihilation  of  his 
being,  and  in  this  proposition  there  is  nothing  contradic¬ 
tory  or  absurd. — A  similar  explanation  may  be  given  of 
numerous  other  propositions,  in  which  the  same  thing  is 
apparently  affirmed  and  denied  of  the  same  subject. 
The  terms  in  different  parts  of  the  proposition  either 
change  their  signification,  or  they  are  used  in  senses  not 
really,  but  only  apparently  opposed.  The  same  solution, 
however,  does  not  apply  to  the  proposition,  Christ  is 
finite  and  infinite,  for  the  terms  here  employed  are  by 
their  nature  wholly  opposed,  and  undergo  no  change  of 
signification  in  the  different  parts  of  the  proposition. 
We  affirm,  in  one  breath,  that  he  is  finite  and  not  finite, 
God  and  not  God,  the  terms,  the  whole  time,  being  used 
in  the  same  sense,  and  thus  fall  into  as  palpable  a  con¬ 
tradiction  as  could  be  uttered. 

We  object,  in  the  second  place,  to  the  doctrine  of  the 
two  natures  in  Jesus  Christ,  as  held  by  trinitarians, 
that  it  destroys  his  personal  unity  ;  that  it  makes  him 


195 


IN  JESUS  CHRIST. 


15 


two  distinct  persons,  two  beings.  It  is  not  necessary 
for  us  here  to  go  into  the  metaphysical  inquiry,  in  what 
personality  consists.  Our  common  apprehensions  are  suf¬ 
ficient  to  guide  us.  A  person  is  an  intelligent  agent  ; 
he  has  one  will  and  one  consciousness  ;  he  has  percep¬ 
tions  and  feelings,  which  he  may  properly  call  his  own. 
Now  we  maintain,  that  personality,  thus  explained,  sim¬ 
ple,  undivided  personality,  and  individuality,  belonged  to 
Jesus  as  truly  and  properly,  as  it  belongs  to  any  other 
being.  We  maintain,  that  he  is  really  one — one  mind, 
one  person,  one  being,  having  one  undivided  conscious¬ 
ness,  in  a  word,  that  he  is  one  in'  the  same  sense  in 
which  either  of  us  is  one.  This  we  hold  to  be  a  funda¬ 
mental  and  self-evident  truth,  and  we  think,  that  any 
hypothesis  or  view,  which  is  subversive  of  it,  a  hypothe¬ 
sis,  which  divides  Christ,  makes  him  two  persons,  two 
beings,  as  separate  and  distinct  as  any  two  of  us  are, 
bears  the  stamp  of  error  on  its  very  face.  This  conse¬ 
quence,  we  hesitate  not  to  say,  is  chargeable  on  the  views 
entertained  by  trinitarians  concerning  the  divine  and 
human  natures  of  Christ.  They  assign  to  him  two  en¬ 
tire  and  distinct  minds ;  the  one  infinitely  superior  to 
the  human,  having  distinct  properties,  views  and  percep¬ 
tions,  having,  in  fact,  nothing  in  common  with  human 
nature  ;  the  other,  human,  having  a  will,  perceptions,  and 
feelings  exclusively  its  own.  This  surely  makes  Christ 
two  persons,  if  we  understand  anything  about  personal¬ 
ity  ;  and  two  as  far  removed  from  each  other  as  infinite 
from  finite.  He  possesses,  we  are  informed,  proper  and 
supreme  divinity  united  with  a  human  soul,  perfect  and 
entire  in  all  its  capacities  and  affections.  He  is  God  and 
man.  Now  God  is  an  intelligent  agent;  the  human 
mind  of  Christ  another  intelligent  agent ;  each  nature. 


16 


DOCTRINE  OF  TWO  NATURES 


196 


we  are  told,  retains  its  proper  attributes, — “  the  essential 
properties  of  one  are  not  imparted  to  the  other.”  How 
it  is  possible  to  escape  the  conclusion,  that  here  are  two 
intelligent  agents,  two  persons,  we  acknowledge  we  are 
unable  to  conjecture.  It  is  really  matter  of  astonish¬ 
ment  to  us,  that  any  one,  who  reflects  at  all  on  the  sub¬ 
ject,  does  not  perceive  the  insuperable  difficulties,  which 
the  hypothesis  of  two  natures  presents,  with  regard  to 
the  personal  unity  of  the  Saviour. 

Trinitarians  do  not  hesitate  to  ascribe  to  each  of  the 
two  supposed  natures  of  Jesus  Christ  qualities  strictly  per¬ 
sonal.  They  sometimes  speak  of  him  as  having  the 
essential  attributes  of  God — as  performing  what  God 
alone  can  perform ;  at  other  times,  they  describe  him 
as  having  the  perceptions,  and  all  the  sinless  infir¬ 
mities  of  man  ;  as  being  tempted  and  exposed  to  suf¬ 
fering,  as  we  are.  It  appears  surprising,  that  they  do 
not  perceive  that  in  doing  this,  they  make  him  twro  be¬ 
ings  as  distinct  from  each  other,  as  any  two  of  their  fel¬ 
low  mortals  are,  and  as  remote  as  God  is  from  man. 
It  is  true  that  formally,  and  in  wroids,  they  ascribe  to 
him  undivided  personality.  Thus  the  council  of  Ephe¬ 
sus  decided  in  opposition  to  Nestorius,  that  the  two  na¬ 
tures  in  Jesus  Christ  form  one  person.  But  this,  we 
have  seen,  is  an  impossible  supposition  ;  the  tu7o  na¬ 
tures  necessarily  form  two  separate  and  entire  agents, 
each  possessing  proper  individuality  and  consciousness; 
and  as  long  as  each  nature  retains  its  peculiar  proper¬ 
ties  and  affections,  they  must  remain  two — two  individuals^ 
persons,  agents.  No  human  decrees  can  alter  the  na¬ 
ture  of  things.  Truth  is  truth,  and  falsehood  is  false¬ 
hood,  whether  men  perceive  it  or  not.  Councils  may 
Yote,  that  two  is  one,  that  two  minds  and  two  agents* 


197 


IN  JESUS  CHRIST. 


17 


form  one  mind,  and  one  agent,  but  what  then  ?  Can  their 
votes  render  that  true,  which  is  by  the  nature  of  things 
impossible  or  absurd  1 

The  importance  of  preserving  the  strict  and  proper 
unity  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  strange  confusion  and  ab¬ 
surdity,  which  would  result  from  a  belief  of  his  divided 
personality  and  two-fold  being,  will,  and  consciousness, 
would  authorize  us  to  dwell  longer  on  this  topic.  But 
on  so  plain  a  point  it  seems  difficult  to  speak  without 
becoming  trite.  To  resort  to  any  labored  argument, 
or  abstract  process  of  reasoning,  to  prove  that  two 
minds,  a  finite  and  infinite,  divine  and  human,  supposed 
to  be  lodged  in  the  same  fleshly  tabernacle,  yet  retaining 
each  its  original,  distinct,  and  proper  attributes,  necessa¬ 
rily  form  two, — two  persons,  two  beings,  two  agents, 
would  seem  a  foolish  waste  of  time  and  labor.  A  sim¬ 
ple  statement  of  the  point  in  debate  appears,  in  our  view, 
all  that  is  needed.  Let  the  doctrine  of  the  two  natures, 
in  its  received  form,  be  fairly  explained,  we  think  we 
may  safely  appeal  to  any  person  of  a  plain  and  unpreju¬ 
diced  mind,  and  ask  whether  such  a  doctrine  can  possibly 
be  true.  No  argument  seems  necessary  to  its  refutation. 
It  carries  evidence  of  its  falsehood  on  its  very  front. 
The  fact  that  it  violates  the  personal  unity  of  the  Saviour, 
assigning  to  him  a  double  individuality,  if  we  may  so 
express  ourselves,  making  him  in  reality  two  beings,  in 
the  same  sense  in  which  God  and  any  one  of  his  intelli¬ 
gent  and  finite  offspring  are  two,  at  once,  and  fully  con¬ 
demns  it. 

Our  next  objection  is  of  a  graver  character.  The 
doctrine  we  are  examining,  implicates,  as  we  conceive, 

VOL.  ir.  2* 


IS 


DOCTRINE  OF  TWO  NATURES 


198 


the  moral  character  of  our  Saviour,  impeaches  his  ve¬ 
racity,  and  attributes  to  him  deceit,  equivocation,  and 
falsehood.  This  is  a  very  weighty  charge.  We  cannot 
endure  to  hear  the  name  of  Jesus,  even  by  supposition, 
coupled  with  fraud  and  dishonesty.  We  regard  him  as 
“  holy,  harmless,  and  undefiled, ”  in  a  sense  in  which  no 
other  being  who  has  ever  trodden  our  earth,  has  a  claim  to 
be  called  such.  The  purity  of  his  mind  could  not  be 
surpassed  ;  it  was  entire  and  perfect,  partaking  of  the 
brightness  of  divinity.  An  inflexible  love  of  truth, 
an  openness,  and  beautiful  and  majestic  simplicity,  were 
among  the  most  striking  features  of  his  character. 

C  O 

For  these  features,  for  his  purity,  his  ingenuousness,  and 
his  truth,  we  reverence  him,  and  would  combat  with  our 
whole  strength  whatever  views  tend  to  impair  or  destroy 
this  reverence.  We  hold  a  belief  of  his  integrity  among 
our  firmest,  fondest  persuasions,  and  this  belief  nothing 
would  tempt  us  to  resign.  To  be  compelled  to  abandon 
it.  to  have  our  confidence  in  the  pure  character  of  Jesus 
of  Nazareth  shaken,  and  be  forced  to  conclude,  that  in 
imparting  his  doctrines  to  the  world,  and  even  in  his 
hours  of  familiar  intercourse  with  his  disciples,  he  made 
use  of  deceit,  or  mental  reservation,  would  cause  us  in¬ 
supportable  gloom  and  anguish.  We  object  to  the  doc¬ 
trine  of  the  two  natures,  that  it  wrests  from  us  this  pre¬ 
cious  persuasion, — a  persuasion  of  his  entire  sincerity 
and  explicitness. 

Let  it  not  be  said,  that  the  doctrine  is  not  chargeable 
with  any  such  consequence.  It  is,  according  to  every 
view  we  can  take  of  it,  justly  chargeable  with  it.  Thus 
we  are  told  that  Jesus  sometimes  spoke  and  acted  in  his 
human,  and  sometimes  in  his  divine  nature  ;"that  when 


S99 


IN  JESUS  CHRIST. 


19 


he  said,  that  he  could  of  himself  do  nothing,  he  meant, 
that  as  man  he  could  do  nothing,  although  as  God  he 
could  do  all  things ;  when  he  declared,  that  he  knew 
not  the  day  and  hour  of  judgment,  we  are  to  understand 
by  this  declaration,  that  he  was  ignorant  of  it  as  man, 
although  he  knew  it  perfectly  well  as  God.  Now  this, 
we  affirm,  is  precisely  what,  in  a  fellow  mortal,  we  should 
call,  by  the  mildest  term,  equivocation.  It  is  absolutely 
inconsistent  with  that  openness  and  integrity  which  we 
are  authorized,  by  the  laws  of  social  intercourse,  to  ex¬ 
pect  from  each  other.  When  one  affirms  that  he  does 
not  know  a  thing,  he  means,  if  he  is  an  honest  man,  that 
he  does  not  know  it  in  any  way  whatever.  It  is  vain  for 
him  to  allege,  that  he  knows  it  only  in  a  certain  charac¬ 
ter,  that  he  is  ignorant  of  it  as  man  ;  as  if  a  priest  should 
declare,  that  he  is  ignorant  of  a  fact  as  man,  though  he 
knows  it  as  confessor ;  or  a  person  should  affirm,  that 
as  a  corporeal  being,  he  is  ignorant  of  what  as  an  intelli¬ 
gent  or  spiritual  being  he  knows  well  enough.  This  will 
not  save  him  from  the  charge  of  equivocation  or  false¬ 
hood.  Let  us  beware  of  ascribing  to  Christ  conduct 
which  would  bethought  disingenuous  or  immoral  in  a 
fellow  mortal.  If  he  did  not  deceive,  if  he  made  the  or¬ 
dinary  use  of  language,  he  could  not  declare,  that  he  was 
ignorant  of  what  he  knew  in  any  manner  whatever.  It 
is  a  poor  subterfuge  to  say,  that  he  was  ignorant  of  it  in 
his  human,  though  he  knew  it  in  his  divine  nature.  No 
matter  in  what  way  he  knew  it;  if  he  knew  it  in  either 
nature,  he  knew  it  in  a  personal  capacity,  his  person  in¬ 
cluding  both  natures ;  that  is,  he  knew  it  in  an  absolute 
sense;  and  could  not  then,  with  reason  or  truth,  declare 
his  ignorance  of  it,  AYould  his  disciples,  or  those  who 


20 


DOCTRINE  OF  TWO  NATURES 


200 


heard  him,  suspect  him  of  any  reservation,  or  of  using 
equivocal  language?  Would  they  not  suppose,  that 
when  he  told  them  he  did  not  know  or  could  not  do  a 
thing,  his  words  were  to  be  understood  in  their  ordina- 
ry  sense  ?  If  they  were  used  in  any  uncommon  sense, 
which  he  took  no  care  to  point  out,  how  can  he  be  de¬ 
fended  from  the  charge  of  having  made  a  deceitful  use 
of  language  1 

If  words  have  any  fixed  meaning,  our  Saviour  expressly 
disclaims  the  possession  of  any  attributes  strictly  and 
properly  divine  :  as  omnipotence — I  can  of  my  own  self 
do  nothing:  supreme,  infinite  goodness — Why  callest 
thou  me  good  ?  there  is  none  good  but  one,  that  is  God  : 
omniscience — Of  that  day  and  that  hour  knowetli  no 
man ,  neither  the  Son,  but  the  Father.  This  is  plain  lan¬ 
guage  ;  there  is  no  mystery  or  obscurity  in  it.  The  terms, 
I,  me,  self,  as  every  one  knows,  always  denote  an  in¬ 
dividual  or  person,  and  they  include  the  whole  of  that 
person  ;  they  are  not  appropriated  to  any  part  or  member 
of  such  person  ;  they  comprehend  all  which  goes  to  con¬ 
stitute  him  what  he  is,  viewed  as  an  individual  or  whole. 
In  this  sense  our  Saviour  must  have  used  them,  or  he 
must  have  been  guilty  of  manifest  prevarication.  To 
say  that  by  self  he  meant  only  the  inferior  part  of  his  na¬ 
ture,  and  intended  to  assert  only,  that  this  part  was  not 
truly  divine,  or  did  not  possess,  inherently  and  of  itself, 
infinite  power  and  knowledge,  is  to  make  him  express 
himself,  as  no  honest  man,  not  bereft  of  his  sober  senses, 
ever  did  or  ever  would. 

Again,  we  are  accustomed  to  look  to  Jesus  as  affording 
an  example  of  deep,  confiding,  and  submissive  piety, 
manifested  in  all  his  words  and  actions,  and  especially  by 


201 


IN  JESUS  CHRIST. 


21 


frequent  and  earnest  prayer ;  and  vve  object  to  the  doc¬ 
trine  of  his  supreme  divinity,  that  it  destroys  the  force  of 
this  example.  Indeed,  upon  the  supposition  that  he  was 
truly  God,  we  are  unable  to  comprehend  what  is  meant 
by  those  expressions  of  dependence  and  trust,  which  con¬ 
stantly  fell  from  his  lips.  Are  we  to  understand  by  them, 
that,  in  his  human,  he  felt  dependent  on  his  divine  na¬ 
ture  ?  that  one  part  of  himself  leaned  for  support  on  ano¬ 
ther  part  of  himself?  Had  this  been  his  meaning,  he 
would  certainly  have  chosen  language  better  fitted  to 
convey  it.  Once  more  :  what  construction  are  we  to  put 
on  his  prayers  ?  To  whom  were  they  directed  ?  Will 
you  say,  that  in  his  human  nature,  he  prayed  to  his  di¬ 
vine  ?  in  one  part  of  his  person  to  another  part  of  it  ?  Or, 
as  the  second  person  of  the  trinity,  did  he  pray  to  the 
first  person  of  the  trinity?  As  the  second  of  three 
“  somewhats,”  or  three  c<  distinctions,”  all  equal,  existing 
in  the  same  being,  did  he  pray  to  the  first  of  those  “  dis¬ 
tinctions,”  or  4<  somewhats,”  for  both  these  terms  are 
employed  by  trinitarians  ?  If  he  was  the  infinite  God 
incarnate,  his  prayers  must  either  have  been  addressed 
to  one  of  three  persons  or  distinctions  in  one  being,  by 
another  of  the  persons  or  distinctions  in  the  same  be¬ 
ing  ;  so  that  the  being  who  prays,  and  the  being  to  whom 
the  prayer  is  addressed,  are  the  same ;  or  they  must  have 
been  addressed  to  the  divine  part  of  his  person  by  the 
human  part  of  it ;  so  that  the  person  who  prays,  and  the 
person  to  whom  the  prayer  is  addressed,  are  the  same. 
One  of  these  two  suppositions  the  Trinitarian  is  compelled 
to  adopt ;  and  we  know  not  which  of  them  is  the  more 
absurd.  Both  of  them  render  Christ’s  devotions  unintel¬ 
ligible,  and  deprive  us  of  the  legacy  of  his  precious  ex¬ 
ample. 


22 


DOCTRINE  OF  TWO  NATURES 


202 


Fuither,  we  think  that  the  doctrine  of  two  natures  in 
Jesus  Christ,  as  influencing  the  laws  of  interpretation, 
throws  the  utmost  darkness  and  obscurity  over  the  sacred 
writings.  We  consider  it  a  plain  truth,  that  the  Bible  is 
to  be  interpreted  in  precisely  the  same  way  with  other 
ancient  writings.  We  are  to  ascertain  the  sense  of  it  by 
the  same  process  that  we  employ  to  ascertain  the  sense 
of  any  work,  which  we  attempt  to  read.  On  any  other 
supposition  it  is  perfectly  uninteiligible ;  and  the  fact,  that 
it  was  unintelligible,  would  force  us  to  conclude,  at  once, 
that  it  had  no  claims  to  a  divine  character.  If  God  con¬ 
descends,  by  messengers  and  prophets,  to  instruct  men 
on  subjects  connected  with  their  most  important  interests, 
we  may  be  certain,  that  he  will  cause  the  information 
which  lie  thinks  fit  to  communicate,  to  be  conveyed 
through  a  medium  capable  of  being  understood  ;  that  is, 
the  messengers  he  employs  must  use  language  in  the  or¬ 
dinary  way ;  they  must  observe  those  established  laws 
and  usages,  from  which  no  writer,  who  wishes  to  be  un¬ 
derstood,  on  whatever  subject  he  treats,  ventures  to  de¬ 
part.  We  cannot  suppose,  that  he  would  so  far  sport  with 
his  creatures,  as  to  present  the  instruction  he  professes 
to  impart,  in  a  form  which  would  render  it  useless,  by 
preventing  it  from  being  understood.— We  complain  of 
the  doctrine  of  the  two  natures,  as  explained  by  its  friends, 
that  it  leaves  us  in  the  utmost  doubt  about  the  sense  of 
revelation  ;  that  it  makes  the  New  Testament  a  book 
wholly  unlike  all  others ;  that  it  renders  it  necessary  for 
us  to  judge  of  the  meaning  of  it,  therefore,  as  we  judge 
of  that  of  no  other  book  ancient  or  modern.  The  conse¬ 
quence  is,  we  can  never  be  certain,  that  we  understand 

the  facts  or  observations  recorded  by  the  historians  of  our 

* 


203 


IN  JESUS  CHRIST. 


23 


♦ 


Lord.  The  impressions  which  we  receive  concerning 
the  most  important  of  them,  may  be  entirely  erroneous. 
It  is  not  pretended,  that  our  Lord  on  any  occasion  inti¬ 
mated  in  which  of  his  two  capacities,  the  divine  or  human, 
he  spoke  or  acted.  He  nowhere  observes,  this  I  say  as 
man,  or  this  I  say  as  God.  He  has  not  thrown  out  the 
least  hint,  by  which  we  may  be  guided  in  determining 
what  is  to  be  ascribed  to  one  nature,  and  what  to  the 
other.  Nor  is  this  deficiency  supplied  by  the  historians 
of  his  life.  They  have  left  on  record  nothing  by  which 
we  may  be  assisted  in  deciding  in  which  nature  he  at 
any  time  spoke  or  acted.  No  caution  is  used  by  them  to 
prevent  misconception.  No  care  is  taken  to  guard  their 
readers  against  taking  the  words  of  their  Master  in  their 
literal  and  obvious  sense,  when  he  disclaims  the  attributes 
of  the  Infinite  Father.  This  is  strange,  it  is  wholly  un¬ 
accountable,  on  the  supposition  that  they  understood  him 
in  the  sense  in  which  trinitarians  would  have  us  believe 
they  did.  It  is  an  omission  we  cannot  explain,  and  one 
which  may  be  attended  with  fatal  consequences,  for  it 
exposes  us  to  perpetual  error  in  our  attempts  to  find  the 
sense  of  our  Lord’s  words.  A  more  than  oracular  obscu¬ 
rity  hangs  over  the  sacred  pages  ;  they  may  mean  any¬ 
thing,  or  everything,  according  to  the  prejudices  and 
fancy  of  the  reader,  and  there  is  no  end  to  the  absurdities 
they  may  be  made  to  teach. 

In  fact,  upon  the  principle  of  interpretation  adopted 
by  trinitarians,  the  plainest  assertions  of  our  Saviour  may 
be  invalidated,  nor  could  he  have  denied  that  he  pos¬ 
sessed  supreme  divinity,  in  language,  the  force  of  which 
might  not  have  been  evaded.  Let  us  suppose  that  in¬ 
stead  of  saying  my  Father  is  greater  than  I — I  can  of 


24 


DOCTRINE  OF  TWO  NATURES 


204 


myself  do  nothing — My  doctrine  is  not  mine  but  his  that 
sent  me ,  he  had  asserted  expressly,  I  am  not  the  supreme 
God — I  am  not  the  same  being  with  the  Father ,  ivho 
commissioned  and  sent  me;  we  have  only  to  affirm,  in 
order  to  set  aside  the  evidence  of  these  latter  assertions, 
that  they  have  reference  only  to  his  human  nature — that 
they  are  true  of  him  as  man  only.  The  two  classes  of 
assertions  admit  of  a  common  construction;  if  the  former 
do  not  teach  that  the  Son  is  inferior  to  the  Father  and 
distinct  from  him,  neither  do  the  latter,  nor  is  it  in  the 
power  of  words  to  express  it  ;  and  had  our  Saviour  been 
commissioned  to  inculcate  it,  he  must  have  sought  in  vain 
for  language,  which  the  ingenuity  of  men  might  not  have 
distorted  into  a  sense  entirely  foreign  from  that  he  in¬ 
tended  to  convey. 

We  do  not,  upon  mature  reflection,  perceive  in  what 
manner  the  above  mentioned  objection  can  be  obviated, 
without  abandoning  the  doctrine  of  two  natures.  We 
know  it  is  said,  that  we  must  determine  whether  Christ’s 
human  or  divine  nature  is  referred  to  by  what  is  affirmed 
of  it,  according  to  the  maxim  of  the  schools,  “  the  subject 
is  known  by  its  predicate Thus  with  regard  to  the 
assertions,  “  my  Father  is  greater  than  I,5’  “I  can  of  my 
own  self  do  nothing,”  “  of  that  day  and  hour  knoweth  no 
man,  no  not  the  angels  in  heaven,  neither  the  Son,  but 
the  Father  only,”  and  those  in  which  Jesus  is  described 
as  praying  to  the  Father,  being  exalted,  and  receiving 
from  him  a  name  above  every  name,  and  others  of  a  sim¬ 
ilar  character,  we  are  told  that  they  refer  to  Christ  not  in 
a  personal  capacity,  but  in  one  of  his  natures  only,  that 
is,  his  human.  But  in  what  manner  this  strange  infe- 
rence  is  authorized  by  the  maxim  alluded  to,  we  confess 


205 


IN  JESUS  CHRIST. 


25 


ourselves  unable  to  discover.  It  appears  to  us  to  be 
founded  on  a  disregard  of  the  plain  and  obvious  force  of 
expressions  in  themselves  quite  simple  and  intelligible. 
If  language  is  capable  of  a  definite  sense,  and  we  know 
anything  about  the  laws  of  reasoning,  the  legitimate  infe¬ 
rence  to  be  drawn  from  the  above  mentioned  assertions 
is,  that  Jesus  is  inferior  to  the  Father,  not  as  to  a  part,  but 
the  whole,  of  his  nature  ;  that  is,  he  is  so  in  an  absolute 
unqualified  sense.  There  is  nothing  in  what  is  affirmed 
concerning  him,  which  necessarily  requires  the  subject 
to  be  taken  in  a  restrained  sense  ;  nothing  in  the  nature 
of  the  expressions  employed,  which  limits  them  to  a  part 
of  this  subject.  These  expressions,  in  their  most  obvious 
sense,  are  not  repugnant  to  reason,  nor,  we  think,  to  the 
general  train  of  facts  and  arguments  found  in  the  Scrip¬ 
tures,  and  do  not  therefore  require  to  be  restricted.  To 
restrain  them  by  supposing,  that  they  are  appropriated 
only  to  one  part  of  Christ’s  nature,  that  they  are  not  true 
when  affirmed  of  him  absolutely  or  generally,  is  really  to 
put  on  them  a  construction  altogether  unnecessary  and 
manifestly  forced. — A  doctrine,  which  is  supported  by  a 
mode  of  interpretation,  which  would  convert  the  Bible 
into  an  inexplicable  book,  and  render  all  human  language 
dark  and  uncertain,  we  need  not  add,  cannot  be  true. 

Let  us  next  advert  to  some  of  the  supposed  uses  of  the 
doctrine.  Its  advocates  consider  it  important,  first,  as 
furnishing  a  solution  of  some  difficulties  arising  from  the 
apparently  discordant  language  used  by  the  sacred  writers 
with  reference  to  Christ,  who  sometimes,  as  they  admit, 
speak  of  him  as  a  finite  and  derived  being,  and  sometimes, 
they  contend,  employ  expressions,  which  imply  the  pos¬ 
session  of  a  divine  nature  and  divine  attributes.  The 
most  ready  method  of  solving  these  difficulties,  they  tell 

3 


VOL.  II. 


20 


DOCTRINE  OF  TWO  NATURES 


200 


us,  is  to  suppose  that  he  possessed  not  one  nature,  but 
two,  a  derived  and  underived,  a  finite  and  infinite,  a  hu¬ 
man  and  a  divine.  This  supposition,  it  is  urged,  makes 
all  plain  ;  it  furnishes  a  key,  by  the  help  of  which,  the 
treasures  of  hidden  wisdom,  locked  up  in  the  inspired 
volume,  may  be  laid  open,  so  that  all  may  be  partakers. 

To  this  statement  it  might  be  sufficient  to  reply,  that 
the  hypothesis  in  question,  as  we  have  shown,  is  liable  to 
insuperable  objections,  especially  that  it  supposes  a  princi¬ 
ple  of  interpretation,  which  mystifies  language,  and  makes 
the  Bible  utter  uncertain  or  delusive  sounds.  But  we  are 
prepared  to  meet  the  argument  on  different  ground.  We 
maintain,  that  the  difficulties  alluded  to  are  greatly  ex¬ 
aggerated  ;  that  the  greater  part,  if  not  all  of  them,  may 
be  fully  removed  by  the  application  of  those  rules  of  criti¬ 
cism,  which  we  think  ourselves  authorised  to  apply  in  the 
explanation  of  all  other  writings  ;  and  the  hypothesis  of 
the  two  natures  is  not  therefore  needed  for  their  solution. 

i 

Our  views  on  the  subject  of  its  necessity,  as  affecting 
apparent  discrepancies  in  the  language  of  the  New  Tes¬ 
tament,  may  be  stated  in  few  words.  We  consider  the 
fact,  that  Jesus  Christ  is  a  being  distinct  from  the  Fa¬ 
ther,  and  inferior  to  him,  completely  established,  by  the 
general  strain  of  the  Bible.  No  fact  or  sentiment  is 
more  plainly,  explicitly,  and  forcibly  taught  and  inculca¬ 
ted.  Take  the  following  among  numerous  other  testi- 
monies  equally  express,  which  might  be  quoted.  “  This 
is  life  eternal,  that  they  might  know  thee  the  only  true 
God ,  and  Jesus  Christ  whom  thou  hast  sent.”  John  xvii.  3. 
“  But  to  us  there  is  but  one  God ,  the  Father ,  of  whom 
are  all  things,  and  we  in  him  ;  and  one  Lord ,  Jesus 
Christ,  by  whom  are  all  things,  and  we  by  him.”  1  Cor. 
viii.  6.  “  There  is  one  God ,  and  one  mediator  between 


207 


IN  JESUS  CHRIST. 


27 


God  and  men ,  the  man  Christ  Jesus.”  I  Tim.  ii.  5.  At 
the  same  time  we  admit,  that  there  are  a  few  passages  capa¬ 
ble  of  receiving  a  construction,  which  favors  the  trinita¬ 
rian  supposition  ;  but  they  do  not,  we  conceive,  necessa¬ 
rily  require  this  construction  ;  they  admit  of  being  under¬ 
stood  differently,  without  appearing  to  be  forced  from 
their  natural  sense.  We  think  that  without  departing 
from  the  established  laws  of  criticism,  we  are  able  to 
explain  them  in  a  manner  consistent  with  the  views 
which  we  are  led,  from  the  general  tenor  of  the  language 
of  the  New  Testament,  to  form  of  the  Saviour.  We  con¬ 
ceive,  that  nothing  is  there  said  of  him,  which  may  not 
be  said  of  a  being  inferior  in  his  whole  nature  to  God. 
Language  occurs  there,  which  is  sometimes  figurative, 
and  sometimes  partakes  of  the  nature  of  rhetorical  de¬ 
scription  ;  it  is  partly  popular,  and  requires,  therefore,  to 
be  restiained  and  modified  ,  and  partly  the  language  of 
feeling  and  sentiment,  which  is  necessarily  somewhat 
indefinite.  It  is  not  surprising,  that  some  of  this  lan¬ 
guage  should  at  first  view  occasion  embarrassment,  and 
that  some  expressions  are  met  with,  which  admit  of  being 
understood  in  different  senses.  It  would  be  strange  if 
they  conveyed  the  same  sentiment,  or  shades  of  senti¬ 
ment,  to  all  minds.  We  are  persuaded,  however,  that 
they  are  susceptible  of  a  construction,  wrhich  is  in 
unison  with  our  view's  of  the  person  and  rank  of  the 
Saviour,  and  therefore  think  the  hypothesis  of  two  na¬ 
tures  unnecessary. 

It  is  always  easy  to  gather,  from  the  general  cast  of  an 
author’s  writings,  and  the  mode  in  which  he  ordinarily 
expresses  himself,  if  he  is  accustomed  to  think  and  write 
with  any  tolerable  accuracy,  what  are  his  leading  views 
on  the  subject  of  which  he  treats.  These  views  will  be 


28-  DOCTRINE  OF  TWO  NATURES  208 

brought  forward  distinctly  ;  they  will,  probably,  be  fre¬ 
quently  adverted  to,  and  be  presented  with  great  promi¬ 
nence.  Passages,  however,  may  occur  in  his  writings, 
the  meaning  of  which  is  less  clear,  passages,  perhaps, 
which  understood  in  their  literal  and  obvious  sense,  and 
without  reference  to  the  trains  of  reflection  into  which 
they  enter,  may  appear  to  militate  with  the  views  and 
principles  we  are  led  by  the  general  import  of  his  language 
to  ascribe  to  him.  Now  what  is  the  process,  which  com¬ 
mon  courtesy,  and  the  laws  of  sound  criticism,  authorize 
and  require  us  to  pursue  with  regard  to  such  passages? 
How  are  we  to  regard  them  ?  Are  we  to  consider  them 
of  chief  importance  in  our  attempts  to  ascertain  our  au¬ 
thor’s  meaning  ?  Are  we  to  select  them  as  proof  texts? 
Are  we  to  erect  systems  on  them  ?  Are  we  to  appeal  to 
them  as  the  passages,  which  best  express  the  real  views 
of  the  writer?  Are  we,  by  exalting  the  letter  above  the 
spirit,  to  make  them  utter  sentiments  at  war  with  those 
breathed,  perhaps,  from  every  page  of  his  productions  ? 
No.  We  do  not  proceed  thus  in  the  interpretation  of  any 
human  author.  We  do  not  expect  to  draw  important 
proofs  and  illustrations  from  the  more  obscure  and  mys¬ 
tical  expressions  a  writer  may  sometimes  employ.  We 
do  not  always  remain  satisfied  with  the  meaning,  which 
first  offers  itself,  on  meeting  with  such  expressions.  If, 
according  to  their  most  obvious  construction,  they  appear 
repugnant  to  common  sense,  and  the  prevailing  tone  of 
the  writings,  in  which  they  occur,  we  feel  compelled  to 
suppose,  that  we  have  not  found  their  true  signification, 
and  we  seek  some  other,  which  is  in  harmony  with  rea¬ 
son,  and  with  the  known  opinions  of  the  author. 

On  this  principle  we  proceed  in  the  interpretation  of 
the  Bible.  We  conceive,  that  obscure  and  ambiguous 


209 


IN  JESUS  CHRIST. 


29 


terms  and  phrases,  which  seldom  occur,  must  bend  to  its 
prevailing  language  and  spirit;  the  more  difficult  parts 
must  be  explained  by  the  more  easy,  figurative  by  plain, 
the  more  abstruse  by  the  more  simple.  From  the  man¬ 
ner  in  which  our  Saviour  and  his  apostles  usually  express 
themselves,  when  they  speak  without  metaphor ;  from  the 
views  and  illustrations  to  which  they  most  frequently  re¬ 
cur ;  from  observations  and  assertions  often  reiterated,  we 
must  endeavor  to  ascertain  what  their  real  sentiments 
were  ;  what  the  great  and  fundamental  doctrines  they 
received  and  were  anxious  to  inculcate.  In  interpreting 
the  more  dark  and  mysterious  expressions,  which  are  oc¬ 
casionally  met  with  in  their  discourses  and  writings,  we 
must  adopt  a  meaning,  which  harmonizes  with  those  doc¬ 
trines,  though  it  may  not  always  be  such  as  the  natural 
force  of  the  expressions  employed  would  most  readily 
suggest.  This  is  reasonable  ;  common  sense  and  com- 
mon  justice,  in  fact,  require  it  of  us.  Now  the  simple 
and  proper  inferiority  of  the  Son  to  the  Father,  we  think, 
is  inculcated,  and  echoed,  and  reechoed,  from  Matthew 
to  the  Revelations,  and  is  not,  therefore,  to  be  set  aside 
by  a  few  expressions,  which,  taken  literally,  and  apart 
from  others,  with  which  they  stand  connected,  may  ap¬ 
pear  to  suggest  a  different  conclusion.  Such  expressions, 
we  feel  under  the  necessity  of  supposing,  are  to  be  re¬ 
ceived  with  some  modification  and  restriction.  They  are 
few  in  number,  and  the  evidence  derived  from  them  com¬ 
paratively  of  little  weight  at  most.  Allowing  it  its  full 
force,  it  is  insufficient  to  overthrow  or  materially  weaken 
the  immense  mass  of  proofs,  which  are  brought  to  estab¬ 
lish  the  fact,  that  Jesus  partook  of  a  finite  and  derived 
nature  and  attributes,  and  of  no  other. 

F urther,  the  advocates  for  the  two  fold  nature  of  Christ, 

VOL.  ii.  3* 


30 


DOCTRINE  OF  TWO  NATURES 


2W 


allege  that  their  views  are  attended  with  some  advantages 
as  regards  the  atonement.  A  wide  field  of  remark  is 
here  opened,  but  we  must  confine  ourselves  to  one  or 
two  observations.  To  the  popular  doctrine  of  a  satisfac¬ 
tion  or  substitute,  we  object,  that  it  robs  God  of  his 
moral  and  paternal  attributes  ;  that  instead  of  calming 
our  apprehensions  and  relieving  distrust,  therefore,  it 
only  serves  to  aggravate  our  fears,  and  wrap  nature  in 
gloom.  But  waiving  this  and  numerous  other  objections, 
which  might  be  urged,  we  shall  simply  point  out  one 
fallacy,  which  wholly  invalidates  the  argument  for  Christ’s 
divinity  from  the  supposed  necessity  of  an  exalted  vic¬ 
tim,  a  fallacy  which  has  been  often  enough  exposed,  but 
is  not  yet  abandoned.  Sin,  it  is  asserted,  since  it  is  com¬ 
mitted  against  an  infinite  Being,  is  an  infinite  evil,  and 
deserves  infinite  punishment  ;  and  none  but  an  infinite 
being  is  therefore  capable  of  making  atonement  for  it. 
This  reasoning  has  in  it  so  much  palpable  sophistry,  that 
we  may  well  be  surprised  it  should  ever  be  employed,  or 
for  a  moment  listened  to.  In  the  first  place,  nothing  can 
be  more  illogical  than  to  suppose,  that  sin,  because  com¬ 
mitted  against  an  infinite  being,  is  an  infinite  offence. 
No  act  of  a  finite  being  can  have  a  character  of  infinity. 
But  throwing  out  of  view  this  and  similar  considerations, 
which  might  be  added,  it  is  untrue  that  an  infinite  atone- 
ment  has  been  made,  even  upon  the  hypothesis  of  trini- 
tarians.  Would  they  be  understood  to  say,  that  the  su¬ 
preme  and  infinite  God,  the  great  Author  and  Preserver 
of  nature,  really  suffered  and  died  on  the  cross?  that  an 
omnipotent  Being  was  put  to  death  by  children  of  dust? 
that  the  Creator  perished  by  the  hands  of  his  creatures? 
that  the  world  was  left  three  days,  during  which  Jesus 
lay  in  the  grave,  without  a  God,  that  the  universe  stood 


2i  1 


IN  JESUS  CHRIST. 


31 


without  a  Preserver?  No.  The  bare  supposition  of 
such  an  event,  if  it  were  possible,  would,  in  the  highest 
degree,  shock  the  feelings  of  every  one.  On  the  hy¬ 
pothesis  then  that  Christ  was  God  as  well  as  man,  he 
suffered  only  in  his  human  nature.  No  infinite  nature 
suffered.  What  then  becomes  of  the  infinite  atonement  ? 
No  such  atonement  has  ever  been  made,  even  admitting 
that  Christ  united  in  himself  the  divine  and  human  na¬ 
tures.  On  this  supposition,  it  was  man  only  that  endur¬ 
ed  the  cross ;  so  that  with  regard  to  the  doctrine  of  the 
atonement,  a  belief  of  the  deity  of  Jesus  has  not  the 
least  advantage  over  a  belief  of  his  simple  humanity. 

One  further  difficulty  with  regard  to  the  death  of 
Christ,  suggests  itself,  upon  the  hypothesis  assumed  by 
trinitarians.  They  are  compelled  to  disown  the  conclu¬ 
sion,  that  the  divine  nature  suffered  ;  yet  the  divine  and 
human  natures,  it  is  asserted,  were  indissolubly  united 
in  the  person  of  the  sufferer  ;  and  we  are  told  expressly 
by  Dr  Barrow,  that  “the  union  did  not  cease,  even  when 
our  Lord  as  man  did  undergo  death” — that  this  union 
“persisted”  when  that  “between  human  soul  and  body 
was  dissolved.”  Here  certainly  appears  to  be  occasion 
for  some  very  nice  distinctions — distinctions,  we  are 
afraid,  much  too  refined  for  common  minds.  To  a  man 
of  plain  understanding  it  must  appear  somewhat  paradox¬ 
ical  to  say,  that  one  of  two  natures  indissolubly  united 
in  the  same  person,  may  with  this  person  undergo  death, 
while  the  other  does  not  partake  of  suffering.  It  would 
seem  that  the  union  must  be  dissolved  at  death.  But 
this  is  inadmissible  upon  the  hypothesis  of  trinitarians ; 
the  union  is  indissoluble.  We  leave  them  to  cret  rid  of 

o 

tire  consequences. 

Some  other  advantages  are  occasionally  described  as 


32 


DOCTRINE  OF  TWO  NATURES 


212 


following  from  the  union  of  two  natures  in  Christ,  which 
we  do  not  deem  of  sufficient  importance  to  be  noticed. 

If  the  objections  stated  in  the  foregoing  pages,  have 
any  force,  the  doctrine  of  two  natures  in  Jesus  Christ  is 
attended  with  difficulties  vastly  more  embarrassing  than 
those  it  professes  to  remove.  Admitting  the  latter  to  be 
as  great  as  they  appear  to  the  advocates  of  the  doctrine, 
they  amount  we  conceive,  to  this,  and  to  nothing  more — 
that  apparently  discordant  expressions  are  occasionally 
found  in  the  scriptures,  which  this  doctrine  reduces  into 
harmony  with  each  other — that  the  sacred  writers,  in 
speaking  of  Christ,  use  language,  which  appears  consistent 
only  on  the  supposition,  that  he  possessed  both  a  divine 
and  a  human  nature.  To  remove  apparent  discrepancies 
an  hypothesis  is  employed,  which,  according  to  the  view  we 
have  taken  of  it,  is  full  of  contradictions ;  an  hypothesis, 
which,  as  we  have  seen,  is  manifestly  absurd  and  impos¬ 
sible ;  which  violates  the  personal  unity  of  Jesus;  im¬ 
peaches  his  veracity ;  and  destroys  the  force  of  his 
example  ;  mars  the  simplicity,  and  darkens  the  sense  of 
the  sacred  writings,  and  which,  after  all,  fails  of  its  ob¬ 
ject,  in  the  very  point,  where,  if  its  friends  are  to  be  be¬ 
lieved,  it  is  most  wanted,  that  is,  the  satisfaction  or 
atonement.  No  hypothesis  can  be  attended  with  greater 
inconveniences  than  this.  Whatever  difficulties  we  es¬ 
cape,  we  fall  into  greater,  by  adopting  it.  But  we  have 
stated  that,  in  our  view,  no  formidable  difficulties  arise 
from  the  forms  of  language  alluded  to ;  and  that  all  al¬ 
leged  discrepancies  disappear,  when  the  expressions, 
which  are  supposed  to  imply  them,  are  understood  in  the 
sense  they  manifestly  bear.  We  see  not  the  least  neces¬ 
sity,  then,  for  the  supposition  of  two  natures  in  Christ, 
even  were  the  difficulties  attending  it  fewer  than  they  are. 


213 


IN  JESUS  CHRIST. 


33 


The  above  mentioned  objections  are  enough  to  stamp 
on  the  doctrine  under  consideration  the  character  of 
error.  We  have,  however,  one  further  objection,  and  it 
is  our  last.  We  have  examined  the  doctrine  in  its  seve¬ 
ral  parts  and  bearings,  and  followed  it  out  into  some  of 
its  obvious  consequences,  and  have  seen,  that  it  carries 
on  the  face  of  it  evidence  of  having  originated  in  human 
invention.  We  should  be  surprised  to  find  any  support 
for  such  a  doctrine  in  the  scriptures.  We  venerate 
them  too  much  to  believe,  that  they  can  teach  it;  and  we 
state,  as  our  only  remaining  objection,  our  full  conviction 
that  it  receives  no  support  whatever  from  them.  It  is 
not  alleged  by  its  friends,  that  it  is  anywhere  expressly 
stated  in  the  sacred  writings,  in  the  form  in  which  it  is 
received  by  them.  It  is  admitted  by  their  soundest  divines, 
that  nothing  is  directly  said  of  the  union  of  the  divine  and 
human  natures  in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  en¬ 
tirely  a  matter  of  inference,  that  such  a  union  exists.  This 
we  consider  very  unfortunate  for  the  hypothesis.  It  throws 
no  small  degree  of  suspicion  over  it.  It  might  have  been 
expected  that  a  doctrine  of  so  extraordinary  a  character,  so 
opposed  to  all  the  common  apprehensions  of  the  human 
mind,  and  the  ordinary  belief  of  the  Jews,  to  whom  our  Sa¬ 
viour’s  instructions  were  originally  addressed,  so  novel,  and 
mysterious,  so  calculated  to  astonish  and  repel  honest,  and 
alarm,  if  you  will,  prejudiced  minds,  it  might  have  been 
expected  that  such  a  doctrine,  had  it  formed  part  of  reve¬ 
lation,  would  have  been  accompanied  with  the  strongest 
evidence.  The  most  ample  testimony  of  its  truth  would 
have  been  given.  It  would  have  been  stated  in  the  most 
plain  and  explicit  manner ;  the  necessary  definitions  and 
illustrations  would  have  been  added,  and  objections  met 
and  refuted.  One  would  have  supposed  that  it  would  be 


34 


DOCTRINE  OF  TWO  NATURES 


214 


a  topic  to  which  our  Lord  would  perpetually  recur,  and  on 
which  he  would  fully  and  unequivocally  explain  himself, 
expressing  his  views  in  language  which  would  effectually 
preclude  all  misconception  and  uncertainty.  Reserve  on 
a  subject  confessedly  so  obscure  and  difficult  would  be 
peculiarly  misplaced,  as  it  would  necessarily  produce 
doubt,  perplexity,  and  error.  When  we  take  into  view 
these  considerations,  and  reflect,  that  not  a  single  pas¬ 
sage  occurs  in  the  whole  New  Testament,  which  con¬ 
tains  anything  like  an  inculcation  of  the  doctrine  in 
question,  the  omission  appears  very  extraordinary.  We 
say  more,  it  seems  utterly  incapable  of  being  accounted 
for.  The  doctrine,  if  true,  is  certainly  an  important 
one,  and  of  a  nature,  as  we  have  said,  which  required 
that  it  should  be  taught  with  the  greatest  distinctness. 

c?  cs 

Why  then  this  silence  upon  the  subject,  on  the  part  of 
our  Saviour  and  his  apostles?  Why  is  it,  that  no  direct 
trace,  no  incidental  notice  of  it,  is  found  in  any  expres¬ 
sions,  which  dropped  from  their  lips  ?  Why  are  we  left 
to  gather  it  from  ingenious  comparisons  and  remote  pro¬ 
cesses  of  reasoning  ?  Why  compelled  to  search  the 
Scriptures  in  vain  for  terms  adequate  to  express  it,  for  it 
is  not  pretended,  that  the  phrases,  twofold  nature ,  God - 
man ,  di vine-human,  and  others  found  so  convenient,  in 
modern  times,  or  anything  resembling  them,  are  met 
with  in  our  Bibles?  These  are  inquiries  to  which  the 
friends  of  the  doctrine  never  have,  and  never  can,  fur¬ 
nish  a  satisfactory  reply. 

There  is  another  consideration,  which  has  great  weight 
with  us.  It  may  be  fairly  concluded,  that  those,  who 
were  about  the  person  of  our  Lord,  or  who  were  occa¬ 
sionally  addressed  by  him,  had  no  suspicion  that  he  was 
God,  from  the  circumstance,  that  they  give  no  evidence 


215 


IN  JESUS  CHRIST. 


35 


of  having  felt  that  astonishment,  which  the  disclosure 
of  such  a  fact  could  not  have  failed  to  excite  in  their 
breasts.  Had  they  regarded  him  as  the  supreme  God,  is 
if.  possible,  that  upon  first  becoming  acquainted  with  the 
fact,  they  would  have  betrayed  no  surprise?  That  he 
was  in  appearance  a  man  is  not  doubted  ;  as  such  he  was 
presented  to  their  senses.  What  then  must  have  been 
their  astonishment,  upon  hearing  that  he,  who  stood  be¬ 
fore  them  in  the  human  form,  was  the  Author  of  the 
universe  !  Yet  nothing  of  this  astonishment  appears  to 
have  been  felt  by  them.  It  is  indeed  more  than  once 
said,  that  those  about  him  were  astonished  at  his  mighty 
works  ;  and  the  inference  they  made  was,  that  he  was  of 
ox  from  God  ; — the  idea  that  he  was  God  himself,  seems 
never  to  have  occurred  to  their  minds.  No  curiosity 
was  expressed,  and  no  inquiries  made,  of  such  a  kind  as 
might  have  been  expected,  had  they  entertained  any  sus¬ 
picion,  that  he  was  perfect  God  as  well  as  perfect  man. 
The  inference  is,  that  they  were  ignorant  of  any  such 
union  ;  and  this,  we  think,  affords  satisfactory  evidence 
that  it  did  not  exist.  Had  it  existed,  can  we  believe,  for 
an  instant,  that  they  would  have  received  no  intimation 
whatever  of  it?  Would  they  have  been  left  in  ignorance 
of  it  to  the  last  ?  In  his  moments  of  confidential  inter¬ 
course,  would  their  Master  have  dropped  no  hint  from 
which  they  might  gather  it  ?  Would  he  have  died 
with  this  weighty  and  impoitant  secret.  locked  up  in 
his  own  breast?  Would  he  have  persevered  in  his  silence 
after  his  resurrection  ?  Would  he  have  finally  left  the 
world  to  go  to  his  Father,  and  yet  have  taken  no  care  to 
inform  his  attached  and  grateful  followers  of  a  fact 
esteemed  by  its  friends  so  precious?  Such  conduct 
would  be  altogether  inexplicable.  The  fair  inference 


36 


DOCTRINE  OF  TWO  NATURES,  &.C. 


216 


is,  that  the  doctrine  was  a  production  of  later  ages. 
We  lament  to  add,  that  by  adopting  it  without  any  neces¬ 
sity,  wre  assume  an  hypothesis,  which  unsupported,  as  it 
appears,  by  the  scriptures,  and  followed  by  consequences 
the  most  appalling,  seems  to  us  to  disgrace  religion,  and 
dishonor  the  human  understanding. 

Nor  let  it  be  imagined,  that  anything  is  lost  by  aban¬ 
doning  this  doctrine.  Jesus  remains  an  object  of  our 
sincerest,  and,  under  God,  our  profoundest  gratitude  and 
regard.  We  can  have  no  doubt  of  his  sufficiency  for  the 
purpose  which  he  was  sent  to  accomplish  ;  our  confidence 
in  him  as  a  deliverer,  who  is  able  to  save  to  the  utmost, 
is  not  diminished  ;  our  hopes  of  pardon  through  him  are 
not  impaired  or  shaken.  God  raised  him  up  and  em¬ 
ployed  him  to  convey  the  benefits  of  his  mercy  to  man¬ 
kind.  On  that  mercy  we  rest,  believing,  that  through 
whatever  medium  our  Father  may  have  chosen  to  impart 

it,  that  medium  must  be  effectual,  and  that  mercy  shared 
by  us,  unless  by  a  fault  of  ourselves. 

On  the  other  hand,  by  discarding  the  doctrine  of  two 
natures,  as  stated  by  trinitarians,  we  are  freed  from  nu¬ 
merous  embarrassments,  into  which  an  attempt  to  explain 
and  defend  it  unavoidably  plunges  its  advocates.  We 
are  exempted  from  the  charge  of  believing  a  contradic¬ 
tion  or  impossibility ;  the  language  of  the  sacred  writ¬ 
ings  ceases  to  appear  strange  and  mysterious,  and  all 
painful  uncertainty  about  its  meaning  vanishes;  we 
preserve  the  personal  unity  of  the  Saviour,  and  retain 
the  benefit  of  his  noble  example ;  no  seeming  shade  is 
thrown  over  his  character,  no  suspicion  of  concealment 
and  dishonesty  attaches  to  him  ;  he  is  presented  to  our 
view  robed  in  that  heavenly  purity,  and  truth,  and  ingen- 
uousness,  which  make  hirn  venerable  and  lovely. 


1st.  Series.] 


[No.  21. 


A 

DIALOGUE 

ON  SOME  OF  THE  CAUSES  OF 

INFIDELITY. 


BY  THE  AUTHOR  OF 

A  DIALOGUE  ON  PROVIDENCE,  FAITH  AND  PRAYER. 


PRINTED  FOR  THE 

American  3Enttartan  Association. 


BOSTON: 

*  BOWLES  AND  DEARBORN,  50  WASHINGTON  STREET. 

1828. 


Price  4  Cents. 


BOSTON....  STEREOTYPED 
BY  LYMAN  THURSTON  AND  CO 


A  DIALOGUE 


ON  SOME  OF  THE  CAUSES  OF 

INFIDELITY. 


Mrs.  Henderson  sat  alone  at  work  one  evening, 
when  Mr.  Henderson  entered  the  parlour,  having  been 
taking  a  walk,  as  was  his  custom,  to  refresh  himself  after 
the  labours  of  the  day. 

4 I  have  been  talking  with  George  again,’  said  he,  as 
he  seated  himself  on  the  sofa, 4  and  I  am  altogether  out 
of  patience  with  him.’  Mr.  Henderson  looked  disturb¬ 
ed;  and  his  wife’s  countenance  immediately  manifested 
sympathetic  emotions. 

4  What  has  the  poor  boy  been  doing  now?’  she  inquir¬ 
ed  in  a  tone  of  anxiety. 

4 1  do  not  feel  as  if  he  were  entitled  to  pity,’  said  Mr. 
Henderson.  4  He  is  wilful  and  perverse,  and  I  am  more 
angry  than  grieved  with  him.’ 

4  Whatever  be  his  fault,  my  dear,’  replied  Mrs.  Hen¬ 
derson  mildly,  4  young  as  he  is,  I  think  he  is  to  be  pitied; 
and  the  more  wilful  he  is,  the  more  I  grieve  for  him,  be¬ 
cause  i  know  he  is  only  treasuring  up  future  anguish  for 
himself.  W  hat  has  he  been  doing  ?  ’ 

4 1  hope  you  will  not  be  troubled  about  it!  ’  said  Mr. 
Henderson.  4 1  shall  be  sorry  that  I  said  any  thing  to 
you  concerning  the  matter,’ 


4 


A  DIALOGUE  ON 


220 


‘  Dearest  husband/  replied  Mrs.  Henderson,  in  a  tone 
of  affectionate  expostulation, ‘  how  can  1  fail  to  be  dis¬ 
tressed,  when  the  two  beings  I  love  best  in  the  world, 
are  at  variance  ?  When  my  husband  and  my  son  have 
angry  feelings  between  them,  how  is  it  possible  I  should 
not  suffer  with  both  ? 7 

i  But  I  should  suppose/  said  Mr.  Henderson,  c  you 
would  know  your  husband  well  enough  to  feel  assured, 
that  he  also  loves  his  son,  as  well  as  you  do;  and  I 
should  think  you  would  have  sufficient  confidence  in  his 
judgment  and  affection,  to  believe  he  would  not  be  angry 
without  cause.’ 

‘  I  did  not  intend  to  express  any  doubts  of  the  justness 
of  your  disapprobation/  replied  Mrs.  Henderson  in  a 
subdued  tone;  ‘  if  I  have  done  so,  the  anxiety  of  my  mind 
must  be  my  excuse  for  using  inappropriate  language. 
I  had  but  one  simple  feeling  of  sorrow,  that  George  has 
given  you  a  new  cause  for  complaint.’ 

Mr.  Henderson  made  no  reply  to  these  explanatory 
remarks  of  his  wife;  and  she  again  inquired,  what  their 
son  had  done  to  offend  his  father. 

c  He  has  not  done  any  thing  wrong,  that  I  know  of/ 
replied  Mr.  Henderson.  c  I  do  not  mean  to  find  fault 
with  his  conduct;  but  you  know  he  has  got  his  head  full 
of  deistical  nonsense.  And  he  is  so  wilful  and  head¬ 
strong,  he  thinks  he  knows  more  than  any  body  ever 
did  before;  there  is  no  arguing  him  out  of  his  infidel 
notions.  He  will  not  listen  to  reason.’ 

Mrs.  Henderson  sighed  gently,  and  remained  some 
time  silent. 

6  It  is  in  vain/  at  length  she  said/  to  attempt  to  reason 
against  opinions  that  have  been  formed  by  feeling  and 
association,  without  any  reason  to  support  them.  I 
have  long  been  watching  the  progress  of  George’s  char- 


CAUSES  OP  INFIDELITY. 


5 


221 


acter  with  great  anxiety.  I  have  seen  the  tendency  to 
this  state  of  mind  from  its  commencement,  and  have 
done  what  I  could  under  existing  circumstances  to  coun¬ 
teract  it.  But  though  we  cannot  induce  him  to  yield  to 
argument,  and  though  you  cannot  alarm  him  by  repre¬ 
senting  to  him  the  dangers  of  his  errors,  yet  I  do  indulge 
a  hope,  that,  after  a  while,  our  anxiety  will  be  relieved  by 
a  change  in  his  sentiments,  and  a  better  state  of  mind.’ 

‘  I  do  not  know  what  is  to  bring  it  about,’  said  Mr. 
Henderson. 

‘  Perhaps  we  may  be  able,’  replied  his  wife,  ‘by  gentle 
and  judicious  means,  to  induce  him  to  examine  the  foun¬ 
dation  of  his  own  opinions,  if  he  will  not  listen  to  ours. 
We  must  try  to  disengage  his  affections  from  the  no¬ 
tions  he  has  adopted;  and  after  that,  he  will  more  easily 
perceive  where  the  truth  lies.’ 

‘It  appears  a  hopeless  case  to  me,’  said  Mr.  Hender¬ 
son;  ‘  this  is  the  second  time  I  have  gone  deeply  into  the 
subject  with  him,  and  pointed  out  his  errors,  his  folly  and 
his  wickedness,  as  plainly  as  possible;  yet  he  maintains 
his  opinions  as  stoutly,  and  as  pertinaciously,  as  if  he 
had  all  the  reason  and  truth  on  his  side.’ 

‘  It  might  be  better  not  to  contend  with  him,  ’  said 
Mrs.  H. 

‘  How  is  it  possible  to  help  it,  while  he  is  so  unpardon- 
ably  perverse  ?  ’  asked  Mr.  H. 

‘  There  are  some  circumstances  to  palliate  his  er¬ 
rors,’  said  Mrs.  H.,  ‘  and  with  young  people  we  can 
hardly  be  too  gentle,  too  forbearing.  It  is  difficult  to 
keep  in  mind  the  ardour  of  their  feelings,  and  the  small¬ 
ness  of  their  experience,  and  the  consequent  defects  of 
their  judgment;  and  yet,  unless  we  do  make  all  these 
allowances,  we  are  in  danger  of  confirming  their  false 
views,  instead  of  giving  them  clearer  and  juster  ones.’ 

VOL.  II.  1* 


6 


A  DIALOGUE  ON 


222 

4  I  don’t  know  to  what  circumstances  you  allude,’  re¬ 
plied  Mr.  H.,  4  for  my  part  I  think  he  has  had  uncommon 
opportunities  for  acquiring  correct  notions  on  religious 
subjects.’ 

4  He  has  had  uncommon  opportunities  of  imbibing  pre¬ 
judices,’  replied  Mrs.  H. 

4  He  has  heard  and  learned  more  of  all  the  doctrinal 
points  and  sectarian  views,  than  I  knew  till  long  after 
we  were  married,’  said  Mr.  Henderson.  4  And  I  was  more 
astonished  than  I  can  express,  to  find  him  entertaining 
such  opinions.  I  think  Tom  Paine  will  have  to  answer 
for  more  mischief  than  can  easily  be  computed.’ 

4  There  are  other  causes  beside  deistical  writers,’ 
said  Mrs.  H.,  4  that  have  served  to  lead  George’s  mind 
astray,  and  such  as  have,  in  my  opinion,  made  more  infi¬ 
dels  than  all  the  open  attacks  upon  Christianity,  that 
have  ever  been  made  by  professed  deists.’ 

4  To  what  causes  do  you  allude?  ’  asked  Mr.  Hender¬ 
son  ;  4  and  how  was  George  affected  by  them  ?  ’ 

4 1  allude  to  the  circumstances  in  which  he  was  pla¬ 
ced  when  he  first  left  home  to  receive  an  academical 
education,’  replied  Mrs.  Henderson. 

4 1  do  not  recollect  any  thing  peculiar  in  his  situation 
at  that  time,’  said  Mr.  Henderson. 

4  Do  you  not  remember,  my  dear  husband,’  said  Mrs. 
Henderson,  4  that  when  you  resolved  to  send  George  to 
****,  I  objected  to  it?  ’ 

4  Very  well,’  replied  Mr.  Henderson. 

4  Do  you  not  recollect,’  continued  his  wife,  4  that  I 
said,  you  were  going  to  place  your  son  under  the  influ¬ 
ence  of  people,  whom  we  both  believed  had  embraced 
many  pernicious  errors  in  their  religious  creed,  and  that 
I  was  afraid  his  young  and  ductile  mind  would  be  drawn 


223 


CAUSES  OF  INFIDELITY. 


7 


into  a  state  of  unnatural  and  injurious  excitement,  and 
that  lasting  evils  would  follow  from  it.’ 

cl  remember  you  were  alarmed,’  replied  Mr.  H.; 

*  I  supposed  you  were  afraid  of  the  boy’s  becoming  pre¬ 
maturely  religious;  and  I  recollect  I  told  you,  there  was 
no  danger  of  his  having  too  much  religion:  I  judged  so 
from  the  proneness  of  youth  to  disregard  the  subject.  I 
was  more  afraid  he  would  not  have  any.  I  was  not  then 
so  well  acquainted  with  the  false  and  erroneous  doctrines 
of  Calvin,  as  I  am  now,  and  thought  a  little  Calvinism 
Would  not  hurt  him,  if  he  did  get  it.’ 

(  Error  and  falsehood  are  hurtful  in  every  degree,’ 
replied  Mrs.  Henderson;  cl  felt  the  same  fear  that  you 
did,  that  George  would  not  retain  the  religious  feelings 
we  had  endeavoured  to  implant;  and  it  was  precisely  for 
that  reason,  that  I  objected  to  his  going  to  ****.’ 

i  But,’  inquired  Mr.  Henderson,  ‘  how  could  his  going 
there, — where  the  danger  was,  as  you  apprehended,  that 
he  would  be  made  to  believe  in  Calvinistic  tenets — how 
could  that  have  any  thing  to  do  with  his  now  being  a 
deist.’ 

c  I  will  tell  you,  my  dear,’  replied  Mrs.  Henderson, 
c  how  it  operated  to  produce  that  effect;  and,  for  fear  of 
it,  I  did  not  wish  you  to  send  him  there.  I  have  seen 
this  exemplified  in  many  instances,  and  therefore  I  ap¬ 
prehended  it  in  George.  ’ 

c  I  really  cannot  conceive  how  you  can  imagine  his 
being  in  had  any  thing  in  the  world  to  do  with 

his  present  state  of  mind,  ’  said  Mr.  Henderson,  in  a  tone 
of  incredulity. 

6  You  know,  my  dear,  ’  said  his  wife,  c  that  it  has  been 
a  principle  which  has  governed  me,  and  which  you  have 
approved,  that  when  instructing  our  little  children,  reli¬ 
gion  should  be  presented  to  them  in  the  simplest  and 


8 


A  DIALOGUE  OX 


224 


plainest  manner.  We  strove  to  give  them  the  deepest, 
the  highest,  and  the  most  expanded  ideas  of  the  charac¬ 
ter  of  God;  and  to  dwell  particularly  on  his  infinite  be¬ 
nevolence,  as  the  quality  best  calculated  to  inspire  confi¬ 
dence  and  devout  affection  in  their  young  hearts.  The 
beauty  of  holiness,  and  every  divine  quality  manifested 
by  Jesus  Christ,  were  pointed  out  in  a  way  to  captivate 
them,  and  fix  their  strongest  feelings  on  what  we  deemed 
the  fundamental  principles  of  revelation.  But  we  avoid¬ 
ed  initiating  them  into  what  are  called  the  mysteries  of 
religion,  thinking  it  wisest  and  best  to  keep  the  clouds  and 
darkness,  which  the  human  mind  has  thrown  over  this 
beautiful  and  heavenly  system,  quite  out  of  their  view; 
believing,  that  when  their  hearts  were  imbued  with  the 
pure  spirit  of  the  gospel,  and  their  understandings  en¬ 
lightened  by  its  wisdom  at  a  mature  period  of  life,  they 
would  be  able  to  grapple  with  the  dogmas  they  might 
learn,  and  resist  the  falsehood  offered  as  divine  truth.  ’ 
Mrs.  Henderson  paused,  and  looked  earnestly  in  her 
husband's  face. 

6  Well,  go  on,’  said  he. 

c  At  an  early  age,  you  chose  to  send  George  to 
continued  Mrs.  Henderson.  i  It  was  my  duty  to  sub¬ 
mit;  but  I  felt  afraid  he  would  not  escape  the  influ¬ 
ence,  which  I  believed  would  constantly  be  exerted  to 
produce  a  state  of  feeling  considered  most  desirable.  I 
feared  my  previous  endeavours  to  instruct  him  would 
be  frustrated:  and  it  happened  as  I  expected.’ 

c  I  recollect  something  of  this;’  said  Mr.  Henderson. 
c  You  were  afraid  his  uncle  and  aunt,  with  whom  he  was 
to  live,  would  be  so  earnest  to  produce  an  effect  upon 
his  mind,  that,  as  he  had  always  loved  them,  he  could 
not  fail  to  become  a  Calvinist,  On  the  contrary,  I  be¬ 
lieved  that  such  a  gay,  lively  boy,  w’ould  not  be  likely 


225 


CAUSES  OF  INFIDELITY. 


9 


to  notice  what  they  said;  and  that  they  would  not  be  able 
to  fasten  on  his  mind  any  of  their  wrong  notions,  even 
if  they  tried,  which  I  could  not,  at  that  time,  be  per¬ 
suaded  they  would  think  of  attempting.’ 

‘  You  mistake,  my  dear,’  interrupted  Mrs.  Henderson; 
c  I  did  not  think  they  would  make  him  a  Calvinist.  I 
knew  he  was  too  young  to  form  any  opinion  upon  the 
subject.  What  I  feared  was,  that  his  feelings  would 
be  deeply  impressed,  and  his  mind  prejudiced  by  them 
I  feared  he  would  imbibe  a  disgust  to  all  religion,  by 
being  harassed  with  the  inexplicable  doctrines  they  would 
endeavour  to  fasten  on  his  memory;  the  false  notions 
they  would  infuse  of  the  divine  character;  and  the  un¬ 
natural  restraints  to  which  they  would  subject  him.’ 

1  Well,  I  did  not  think  much  about  the  matter,’  said 
Mr.  Henderson;  ‘  and  I  confess  it  appeared  to  me  you 
were  too  scrupulous;  and,  if  I  recollect  rightfy,  the  etfect 
on  his  mind  wras  not  exactly  what  you  had  anticipated, 
nor  what  1  had  expected.  When  he  was  sick,  and  we 
were  sent  for,  he  fancied  himself  converted,  did  he  not?’ 

‘  He  did:  but  that  was  neither  the  first  nor  the  last 
change  w  hich  w  as  produced  by  the  exertions  of  his  uncle 
and  aunt,  and  the  sect  to  which  they  belong.’ 

c  I  don’t  remember  much  about  it,’  said  Mr.  Hender¬ 
son;  ‘  for  I  looked  upon  it  all  as  a  trifling  business,  neither 
do  I  yet  perceive  how  it  has  had  any  bearing  on  George’s 
present  viewrs.’ 

‘Nothing  should  be  deemed  trifling  that  is  calculated 
to  have  a  lasting  effect  upon  the  mind,  whether  that 
effect  be  good  or  bad,’  said  Mrs.  Henderson. 

6  True,’  replied  her  husband;  i  but  according  to  your 
owrn  account,  the  effect  upon  George’s  mind  was  not 
lasting;  and  therefore,  it  was  not  wTorth  regarding.’ 

(  The  first  effect,  my  dear,’  said  Mrs,  Henderson  earn- 


10 


A  DIALOGUE  OX 


226 


estly,  £  was  not  lasting,  nor  the  second,  nor  perhaps 
the  third;  but  the  whole  was  a  chain,  which  naturally  led 
to  the  state  of  mind  which  now  distresses  us  so  much. 
I  pray  this  may  not  be  lasting;  but  I  have  fears,  though 
not  so  great  as  yours.1 

‘  What  were  the  several  states  of  mind,  which  you 

think  have  led  to  this  ? 1  asked  3Ir.  Henderson.  £  I  really 

* 

have  not  observed  them.1 

i  The  first  impression  that  he  received,  after  being 
placed  in  your  brother's  family,  was  excessive  ennui  and 
disgust,  in  consequence  of  being  debarred  so  many  of 
his  accustomed  amusements,  and  compelled  to  attend 
so  many,  and  such  long  religious  exercises,  which,  as 
he  could  not  understand  them,  were  naturally  very  te¬ 
dious.  This  state  of  feeling  lasted  some  time,  and  w’as 
attributed  to  home-sickness;  but  I  was  convinced  it  had 
not  that  origin.’ 

c  I  remember,’  said  Mr.  H.,  £  that  I  thought  from  his 
letters,  he  suffered  from  home-sickness;  and  I  believ¬ 
ed  it  best  to  take  no  notice  of  it,  thinking  it  would  soon 
’wear  off.1 

£  The  second  change  of  his  feelings,1  continued  Mrs. 
Henderson,  in  a  tone  that  manifested  regret  and  sorrow, 
i  was  that  of  fear  and  horror,  on  account  of  the  inevitable 
and  dreadful  sufferings  he  was  taught  to  believe  he  was 
doomed  to  endure  eternally,  unless  the  irresistible  grace 
of  God  were  vouchsafed  to  save  him.  This  terror  was 
renewed  as  often  as  the  least  natural  reaction  of  his 
spirits  had  allayed  it;  and  at  length  such  a  nervous  ex¬ 
citement  was  produced  as  threw  him  into  a  slow  fever.’ 

c  Are  you  sure  that  was  the  cause  of  his  sickness?’ 
inquired  Mr.  Henderson. 

L Certainly,’  replied  his  wife;  ‘  nor  was  it  an  unparallel¬ 
ed  case.  During  the  first  attack  of  this  malady,  and  even 


227 


CAUSES  OF  INFIDELITY. 


11 


before  they  were  aware  of  his  being  diseased,  his  dis¬ 
ordered  dreams  were  interpreted  by  his  uncle  and  aunt 
and  their  pious  friends,  to  be  interpositions  of  Provi¬ 
dence  to  save  his  soul  from  perdition,  and  so  they  per¬ 
suaded  him.  He  started  from  his  broken  slumbers  one 
night,  thinking  he  heard  his  name  called;  he  thought  he 
opened  his  eyes,  and  saw  his  chamber  full  of  sparkling 
stars  which  were  in  continual  motion;*  he  was  greatly 
alarmed  and  cried  aloud.  His  uncle  and  aunt,  who  anxi¬ 
ously  watched  over  him,  in  the  hope  of  a  happy  change, 
on  hearing  his  terrified  voice,  went  to  his  room,  and  listen¬ 
ed  to  the  account.  They  told  him,  in  so  many  words, 
that  he  was  hanging  over  hell,  as  by  a  single  hair.  They 
seemed  deeply  affected,  and  wept  and  prayed  over  him. 
They  said  it  was  an  important  moment,  and  would  de¬ 
cide  his  fate.  They  thought  divine  grace  was  operating, 
and  they  endeavoured  to  aid  it  by  all  the  means  they 
could  use  to  increase  his  emotions.  God  was  striving 
with  his  soul,  they  said,  to  save  it;  and  he  must  wrestle 
with  the  Lord,  until  he  conquered,  and  compelled  him  to 
grant  the  salvation  of  his  soul.  The  poor  child  had  but 
a  confused  notion  of  what  such  a  wrestling  could  be; 
but  he  believed  what  they  told  him.  He  cried,  and 
groaned,  and  entreated  to  know  what  he  could  do,  and 
besought  them  to  pray  with  him,  and  for  him.  They  did 
so,  and  when  the  violence  of  his  feelings  subsided  for  a 
moment,  they  charged  him  to  continue  in  prayer,  and 
strong  supplication  to  God,  that  grace  might  be  given  him. 
They  told  him,  if  he  should  hear  his  name  called  again, 
it  would  be  a  sign  of  his  having  obtained  pardon  for  his 
sins;  and  then  he  might  feel  sure  he  was  one  of  the  elect 

*  A  fact  related,  in  all  its  parts,  to  the  writer,  by  one  who  fully  believed 
that  this  was  a  supernatural  course  pursued  by  God,  to  convert  her  sis¬ 
ter  from  sin  to  righteousness. 


12 


A  DIALOGUE  ON 


228 


of  God,  and  eternal  glory  and  happiness  would  be  his 
portion;  his  nature  would,  in  that  instant,  be  changed 
from  a  state  wholly  depraved,  and  incapable  of  any  good, 
to  one  pure  and  holy;  and  nothing  could  ever  pluck  him 
out  of  the  hands  of  his  blessed  Lord  and  Redeemer; 
the  wrath  of  God  would  be  appeased,  divine  justice  satis¬ 
fied,  and  eternal  salvation  be  obtained.’ 

i  Folly!  ’  exclaimed  Mr.  Henderson.  His  wife  went  on. 

c  They  stimulated  him  to  continued  exertion,  by  adding, 
that  should  he  not  again  hear  himself  called,  he  must  be¬ 
lieve  he  was  doomed  to  eternal  wo,  without  even  hope 
of  salvation.  They  continued  to  pray  and  exhort  him, 
till  his  mind  was  excited  to  frenzy;  and  at  length,  worn 
out  by  these  violent  emotions,  he  sunk  into  a  stupor, 
and  they  left  him.’ 

Unable  to  repress  her  emotions,  Mrs.  Henderson 
paused  for  a  few  minutes;  after  which,  with  a  serene, 
though  pensive  expression  of  countenance,  she  contin¬ 
ued  her  narration. 

*  It  was  not  long  before  he  was  again  aroused  by  a 
similar  affection  of  the  nervous  system,  a  sickly  dream, 
which  was  very  natural  in  his  situation,  which  indeed  is 
very  common  in  such  a  state  of  the  body,  and  should, 
therefore,  be  treated  altogether  as  a  symptom  of  disease. 
I  have  very  often  experienced  similar  impressions,  and 
so  have  others,  without  imagining  it  in  any  way  connect¬ 
ed  with  religion,  or  observing  any  mental  effect  after¬ 
wards.’ 

c  Certainly,’  said  Mr.  Henderson,  c  How  could  any 
one  think  otherw  ise  ?  ’ 

‘  Your  brother  and  sister  believed  it  was  the  voice  of 
God,  and  so  they  told  George,  and  that  he  might  now 
pour  out  his  heart  in  hallelujahs  and  praises  to  his  Maker 
for  his  unmerited  goodness  in  saving  a  lost  soul,  and 


CAUSES  OF  INFIDELITY. 


13 


OOq 


granting  such  an  abundant  entrance  into  his  heavenly 
kingdom.  George  gladly  laid  hold  of  these  bright  pros¬ 
pects;  and  the  sudden  relief,  from  excessive  fear  to  hope 
and  joy,  caused  such  a  reaction  of  the  spirits,  that  it  pro¬ 
duced  a  highly  active  stage  of  fever;  and  he  became  as 
raving  with  delight  as  he  had  previously  been  with  horror. 
By  this  time,  it  was  discovered  by  those  around  him,  that 
he  was  really  diseased,  and  burning  with  fever.  They 
became  alarmed,  and  sent  for  the  village  physician,  who 
pronounced  him  dangerously  ill.  The  poor  boy  wa3 
several  days  on  the  borders  of  the  grave.  W  hen  he 
became  convalescent,  I  wished  to  take  him  home,  to 
recover  his  strength,  and  the  proper  tone  of  mind;  but 
circumstances  prevented.’ 

‘  What  circumstances?’  asked  Mr.  H.  ‘I  cannot  con¬ 
ceive  how  1  could  consent  to  leave  him  there  after  that.’ 

*  These  things  appeared  less  important  to  you  then,’ 
replied  Mrs.  Henderson, ‘  than  they  do  now.  You  felt, 
and  treated  the  subject  of  religion,  with  much  greater  in¬ 
difference,  and  made  little  discrimination  as  to  the  truth  or 
falsehood  of  the  different  doctrines  professed.  You  look¬ 
ed  upon  many  of  the  notions  of  your  brother  and  sister 
as  so  wholly  absurd  and  irrational,  that  you  could  not 
imagine  them  to  be  seriously  believed;  and  therefore 
thought,  as  George’s  health  was  restored,  he  could  be  in 
no  danger  of  being  affected  by  them.  You  conceived  his 
sickness  to  be  the  cause,  and  not  the  effect  of  the  state 
of  mind  he  had  been  in;  and  the  whole  matter  made  little 
impression  on  your  mind.’ 

c  It  seems  very  strange  to  me  now  that  it  should  have 
been  so,’  send  Mr.  Henderson  in  a  tone  of  sadness:  ‘but 
I  must  have  regarded  his  health  as  much  as  you  did; 
why  did  I  not  consent  to  his  return,  on  that  account  ?  ’ 

‘  How  can  you  forget  so  entirely  your  reasoning  on 

VOL.  II.  2 


14 


A  DIALOGUE  ON 


230 


the  subject?’  asked  Mrs.  Henderson.  6  Do  you  not  re¬ 
member,  that  you  laughed  at  me,  and  apparently  with 
reason,  for  wishing  to  carry  the  child  from  the  pure  air  of 
the  country,  to  the  hot  and  sickly  atmosphere  of  the  town? 
Beside,  George  had  been  making  rapid  progress  in  his 
studies;  and  you  thought  it  would  have  a  bad  effect  to 
change  his  school  and  his  routine  of  pursuits.  In  short, 
you  had  not  time  to  think  much  about  it.’ 

*  What  was  the  effect  on  George?’  asked  Mr.  Hen¬ 
derson.  i  I  do  not  recollect  attending  to  the  subject  af¬ 
ter  our  return.’ 

*  The  effect  was  such  as  might  naturally  be  expected,* 
replied  Mrs.  H.  c  When  his  strength  and  natural  vivac¬ 
ity  were  restored,  and  his  mind  had  recovered  its  ra¬ 
tional  and  elastic  action,  he  was  led  to  reflect  on  what 
had  taken  place,  and  review  the  changes  he  had  passed 
through.  An  unconquerable  aversion  to  the  subject  of 
religion  took  possession  of  his  feelings.  Its  associa¬ 
tion  with  his  sufferings  was  strong,  and  the  recollection 
of  every  scene  he  had  experienced,  extremely  painful 
and  disgusting  to  him.  The  views  of  the  divine  char¬ 
acter  daily  presented  to  him  by  his  uncle  and  aunt,  and 
also  by  his  teachers,  who  neglected  no  opportunity  to 
instil  their  peculiar  sentiments,  were  so  opposed  to  those 
his  own  reflections  suggested  when  contemplating  the 
beauty  and  majesty  of  nature,  that  they  became  more 
and  more  abhorrent  to  him.  Sometimes,  as  he  has  since 
told  me,  when  his  mind  had  been  disturbed  and  bewil¬ 
dered  by  the  sophistry  he  had  listened  to,  he  would  go 
into  a  corner,  and  secretly  express  the  aversion  he  felt 
for  a  being,  so  powerful  and  so  malignant  as  he  conceiv¬ 
ed  God  to  be.  Then,  when  he  plunged  into  the  w~oods, 
and  cooled  his  heated  head  in  the  pure  brook,  and  sooth¬ 
ed  his  excited  feelings  in  the  sweet  and  solemn  tranquil- 


231 


CAUSES  OF  INFIDELITY. 


15 


lity  of  rural  scenes,  his  heart  expanded  with  gratitude 
and  love  to  the  God,  who  spoke  to  his  soul  in  the  pure 
language  of  nature,  and  declared  himself  to  be  as  benev¬ 
olent  as  he  is  wise  and  powerful.  Such  was  the  effect 
of  the  course  pursued  with  him,  that  he  became  impatient 
to  cast  off  the  whole  of  revealed  religion.’ 

*  No  wonder,’  said  Mr.  Henderson.  6  The  effect  was 
7 

perfectly  natural,  as  you  observed.’ 

6  The  same  means  were  again  and  again  employed,’ 
continued  Mrs.  H.,  c  which  had  at  first  been  so  effectual, 
.  in  the  hope  of  renewing  his  excitement,  but  they  were 
tried  in  vain:  and  considering  him  a  confirmed  repro¬ 
bate,  after  all  the  flatteries  and  attentions  they  had 
lavished  on  him,  his  friends  at  ****  began  to  treat  him 
with  scorn  and  harshness.  His  uncle  turned  him  out  of 
his  house;  and  did  not  even  pretend  that  George  had 
offended  in  any  other  way,  than  in  not  being  willing  to 
unite  with  them  in  their  high  religious  tone  of  feeling.’ 

c  Don’t  tell  me  any  thing  more  of  their  conduct,’  said 
Mr.  H. 

‘  I  suspected  something  was  going  wrong,’  said  Mrs. 
Henderson,  ‘  and  saw  somewhat  of  the  changes  in  his 
feelings,  though  he  carefully  avoided  writing  openly  upon 
them.  I  feared  his  mind  had  been  warped  from  its  ear¬ 
ly  pure  and  rational  religion;  and  that,  having  been  car¬ 
ried  to  one  extreme  of  error  by  the  powers  of  false  reas¬ 
oning,  strong  excitement  of  fear  and  hope,  and  affec¬ 
tionate  treatment  from  his  friends,  while  they  believed 
him  under  their  influence,  it  would,  by  natural  reaction 
and  a  contrary  course  of  treatment,  go  as  much  out  of  the 
right  line  on  the  opposite  side:  but  I  believed  time  must 
be  allowed  to  wear  off  the  effects  of  his  late  impressions, 
before  any  sentiment  of  delight  could  be  again  associ- 


16 


A  DIALOGUE  ON 


232 


ated  with  serious  and  holy  subjects.  Since  his  return 
from  ****,  I  have  constantly  watched  for  opportunities 
to  restore  his  early  love  of  God  and  pleasure  in  religion; 
but  before  his  feelings  had  time  to  recover  from  the  shock 
they  had  received,  his  mind  became  more  mature,  and 
he  resolved  to  inform  himself  of  the  truth  or  falsehood 
of  revelation  and  its  doctrines,  by  a  course  of  appropriate 
reading,  and  to  receive  nothing  unexamined.’ 

1  He  was  judicious  in  making  those  resolutions,  I 
think,’  said  Mr.  H. 

‘  He  was,’  replied  Mrs.  Henderson:  c  but  not  in  the 
manner  he  carried  them  into  operation;  though  he  adopt¬ 
ed  the  method  usual  with  young  people  in  like  circum¬ 
stances.’ 

‘  How  was  it  ?  ’  asked  her  husband. 

c  He  decided,  to  begin  with  studying  all  that  had  been 
urged  against  revelation;  intending  afterwards  to  exam¬ 
ine  the  evidences  in  its  favour.  But,  like  too  many  others 
whose  feelings  are  enlisted  on  the  side  of  scepticism, 
De  naturally  rested  where  they  led  him,  and  so,  after  a 
hasty  and  superficial  reading  of  the  scriptures,  he  felt 
satisfied  that  he  had  done  all  that  he  need,  to  obtain 
both  sides  of  the  question,  and  thus  thinks  himself  con¬ 
firmed  in  deism.’ 

c  Your  account,’  said  Mr.  Henderson,  c  is,  to  be  sure, 
a  much  more  rational  one  than  I  thought  it  possible  to 
give  of  his  present  views;  and  it  seems  strange  to  me, 
that  I  should  have  known  so  little  about  it.’ 

‘  You  knew  it  at  the  time,  my  dear,’  replied  his  wife;  ‘at 
least  I  related,  and  expressed  my  ideas  of  the  whole  trans¬ 
action:  but  you  would  not  believe  that  any  effect  could  be 
lasting  on  the  mind  of  such  a  boy;  and  thought  it  would 
all  pass  away  with  his  disease.  Indeed,  he  was  at  the 


233 


CAUSES  OF  INFIDELITY. 


17 


time  too  sick,  to  allow  us  to  say  or  think  much  about  it; 
and  since  then,  though  I  have  thought  much,  I  have  said 
very  little.’ 

‘  I  wonder  how  I  could  be  so  inattentive  and  forgetful 
of  these  things:  nor  do  I  understand  how  you  learned  all 
the  particulars  you  have  related,’  said  Mr.  Henderson. 

‘When  we  first  went  to  the  child,’  replied  Mrs.  H., 
i  his  mind  was  deeply  exercised  and  full  of  the  subject; 
and  he  could  think  or  talk  of  nothing  else.  IVhen  alone 
with  him,  I  strove  in  vain  to  soothe  his  nerves,  and  pre¬ 
vent  those  violent  paroxysms  which  he  had  been  taught 
to  believe  were  highly  beneficial.  I  avoided  all  in¬ 
quiries,  and  endeavoured  to  introduce  a  different  train 
of  thought:  but  it  was  difficult  to  do  this;  especially  as 
your  brother  and  sister,  were  gratified  by  the  success  of 
their  efforts,  and  were  full  of  the  subject  of  his  conver¬ 
sion,  both  in  his  chamber,  and  when  we  were  not  with 
the  child.  Thus  by  interrupted  details  and  insulated  re¬ 
marks  from  all  parties,  from  the  irrepressible  desire  each 
had  to  relate  the  progress  and  completion  of  the  change, 
as  it  was  called,  I  at  length  gathered  all  I  have  told  you; 
notwithstanding  I  discouraged,  as  much  as  possible,  all 
communication  on  the  subject;  wishing  to  give  a  new 
and  different  tone  to  his  feelings,  and  believing  it  best 
for  him  to  forget  the  past  scenes,  as  soon  as  possible.’ 

‘  I  certainly,’  said  Mr.  Henderson,  ‘  never  heard  the 
circumstances  so  related  before;  if  I  had,  I  should  not 
have  treated  my  brother  and  his  wife  as  I  did  at  the 
time,  and  have  done  since.’ 

‘It  was  the  fear  of  this,’  said  Mrs.  Henderson,  ‘that 
prevented  me  from  dwelling  on  the  subject,  and  stating, 
as  particularly  as  I  have  now  done,  the  course  of  con¬ 
duct  they  pursued  with  George.  M  hen  I  found  you 

VOL;  II.  2# 


A  DIALOGUE  OX 


18 


234 


decided  to  have  him  remain  there,  I  considered  it  best 
to  say  no  more  about  the  affair.’ 

c  I  think  you  were  wrong  there,’  said  Mr.  Henderson*, 
c  for  if  I  had  made  a  plain  statement  of  the  effects  of  their 
conduct  upon  the  child,  it  might  have  opened  their  eyes 
to  the  folly  as  well  as  the  wickedness  of  their  treatment; 
at  least,  it  would  have  checked  them  in  any  further 
attempts  of  the  kind.’ 

c  Perhaps  I  was,’  replied  Mrs.  Henderson;  (  but  it  would 
not,  I  thought,  have  any  good  effect.  Your  brother  and 
his  wife  are  both  sincere  in  the  opinions  they  profess; 
their  minds  are  confirmed  in  the  system  they  have  em¬ 
braced;  and  their  hearts  are  so  wedded  to  it,  that  to  ad¬ 
mit  a  doubt  of  its  truth,  or  to  allow  the  possibility  of  their 
being  in  error,  appears  to  them  a  heinous  sin,  for  which 
they  should  humble  themselves  in  deep  contrition  before 
God.  They  are,  in  this  manner,  enclosed  and  hedged 
in  by  their  prejudices,  as  effectually,  as  if  they  possessed 
no  rational  minds.  Any  attempt  on  our  part  to  give  them 
different  views,  would  have  no  other  effect  than  to  cause 
unkir.d  thoughts  of  us:  and,  at  that  time,  it  would  have 
given  them  a  conviction,  that  we  were  as  ungrateful  for 
their  affectionate  treatment  of  our  son  as  blind  to  the 
truths  of  religion.  Unchristian  feelings  would  have  been 
excited  between  us,  and  our  social  intercourse  would 
have  been  interrupted,  if  not  for  ever  broken  off’ 

c  I  don’t  know  but  you  are  right,’  replied  Mr.  Hender¬ 
son;  ‘  and,  after  all,  their  conduct  may  not  be  all  that  has 
caused  George’s  infidel  notions.’ 

‘  Not  their  conduct  alone,’  said  Mrs.  Henderson; 
‘  others  joined  in  the  labour,  to  aid  the  good  work  as  it 
was  called.  One  evening,  George  went  by  invitation  to 
visit  one  of  the  instructers.  When  there,  the  gentleman 
told  him,  he  had  invited  him,  in  order  that  he  might  get 


235 


CAUSES  or  INFIDELITY. 


19 


religion;  and  he  did  not  intend  to  part  with  him,  until  he 
had  experienced  a  change.  So  he  exhorted,  and  argued, 
and  read  the  denunciations  of  the  scriptures  on  the  im¬ 
penitent,  telling  the  child,  he  was  the  very  individual 
pointed  at;  he  added  prayers  to  threatenings,  till,  at 
length,  driven  to  desperation,  George  declared  himself 
converted,  and  was  allowed  to  depart.  This  deception, 
on  the  part  of  George,  weighed  heavily  on  his  conscience 
for  a  very  long  time,  though  I  am  sorry  to  say,  relief 
did  not  finally  spring  from  penitence,  but  from  indiffer¬ 
ence.’ 

c  More’s  the  pity,’  said  Mr.  Henderson. 

c  George  is  yet  young,’  continued  his  wife,  c  and  his 
mind  is  a  candid  and  penetrating  one;  it  is  deeply 
excited,  and  full  of  action.  His  early  impressions  and 
instructions  were  rational,  and  I  trust  he  will  finally  set¬ 
tle  down  in  just  views.’ 

c  God  grant  it  may  be  so,’  said  Mr.  Henderson.  c  But 
I  confess  I  am  full  of  fears.’ 

c  If  it  were  not  for  my  religious  trust,  I  should  be  full 
of  fears  also,’  said  Mrs.  Henderson.  c  But  I  have  so 
earnestly  and  constantly  sought  divine  aid  in  training 
my  children,  and  have  made  it  so  much  the  duty  of  my 
life  to  give  them  good  instruction,  that  I  fully  believe 
our  heavenly  Father  will  grant  my  prayers;  and  in  his 
own  time,  and  by  his  own  means,  produce  the  state  of 
mind  we  desire  to  see  in  our  son.  We  must,  on  our 
part,  let  patience  have  its  perfect  work;  for  this  trial  is 
doubtless  for  the  improvement  of  our  hearts;  and  we 
should  view  it  in  that  light,  and  manifest  a  true  Chris¬ 
tian  spirit  in  our  conduct  to  George.’ 

‘  1  ou  possess  at  all  times  more  faith,  and  patience  too, 
than  I,’  said  Mr.  Henderson.  ‘  But  I  approve,  and  re- 


20 


A  DIALOGUE  OX 


236 


spect,  and  shall  try  to  emulate  your  truly  evangelical 
temper,  my  dear  wife.’ 

‘  Let  us  then  resolve,’  said  Mrs.  Henderson,  c  to  guard 
ourselves  against  the  least  appearance  of  unkindness,  in 
our  treatment  of  the  boy.  He  must  be  drawn  by  love 
and  gentleness,  and  his  heart  be  warmed  and  opened  by 
generous  dealing,  and  a  conviction,  that  affection  dictates 
our  conduct  to  him.  This  will  give  us  the  fairest  chance 
of  overcoming  his  prejudices,  and  convincing  his  un¬ 
derstanding.’ 

O 

‘  That  is  the  part  of  wisdom,’  said  Mr.  Henderson. 
c  But  you  know  it  is  proverbially  easier  to  preach,  than 
to  practice.  I  am  aware  of  the  impetuosity  of  my 
feelings.  I  rarely  engage  in  an  interesting  discussion, 
without  being  excited,  and  then,  to  be  sure,  there  is 
an  end  of  profit  or  pleasure.  I  ought  not  to  talk  with 
George  on  this  subject;  and  I  will  not,  if  I  can  hold  to 
my  resolution.’ 

c  I  think  you  are  right,’  replied  Mrs.  Henderson.  6  On 
subjects  of  deep  interest,  few  people  can  converse  calm¬ 
ly  and  dispassionately;  and  yet,  without  such  composure, 
and  perfect  gentleness  of  tone  and  expression,  and  the  ut¬ 
most  candour  and  impartiality,  I  am  convinced  little  good 
is  effected  by  discussion.  When  unpleasant  feelings 
are  excited,  the  mind  will  often  be  unable  to  perceive  the 
truth  of  a  proposition,  be  it  ever  so  clear.’ 

‘  It  may  be  so,’  said  Mr.  Henderson;  CI  have  never 
attended  much  to  these  things.’ 

‘  You  have  lived  in  the  world  of  business,  my  dear,’ 
said  his  wife;  (  wdiile  I,  secluded,  and  moving  only  in  the 
little  circle  of  my  domestic  duties,  have  lived  in  an  in¬ 
ternal  world  of  thought,  observing  and  reflecting  on  the 
operations  of  my  own  mind,  and  those  of  the  few  indi- 


237 


CAUSES  OF  INFIDELITY. 


21 


viduals,  with  whom  I  have  daily  or  occasionally  asso¬ 
ciated.  Hence  the  difference  in  the  character  of  our 
minds,  which  originally,  I  believe,  were  constituted  very 
much  alike.’ 

The  entrance  of  company  now  put  an  end  to  the 
conversation.  But  it  was  a  subject  of  deep  meditation, 
and  humble  petition,  that  they  might  be  guided  by  the 
spirit  of  wisdom  and  divine  love,  in  all  their  endeavours 
to  influence  the  mind  of  their  beloved  son. 

Beside  the  causes  which  Mrs.  Henderson  had  enume¬ 
rated  to  account  for  their  son’s  deistical  opinions,  there 
were  others  in  operation,  of  which  both  his  parents  were 
ignorant.  Or  rather,  the  same  causes  were  operating 
under  different  circumstances,  for  it  was  still  the  doctrines 
called  orthodox,  which  were  increasing  and  confirming 
George’s  erroneous  opinions.  Edward  Burrel,  a  fellow 
apprentice,  and  an  intimate  friend  of  George  Hender¬ 
son’s,  had  a  share  in  the  unhappy  influence  exerted  over 
his  mind.  This  young  man  had  imbibed  some  doubts  on 
religious  subjects,  from  various  sources;  but  his  notions 
were  crude,  and  his  knowledge  of  the  particulars  in  dis¬ 
pute  trifling,  until  a  young  lady,  a  cousin  of  his,  for  whom 
he  had  entertained  a  youthful  passion,  became  deeply 
affected  by  a  Calvinistic  awakening,  produced  by  the  la¬ 
bours  of  an  itinerant  preacher  in  a  place  where  she  had 
been  visiting.  After  her  conversion,  as  she  termed  the 
state  of  mind  she  was  in,  whenever  Edward  Burrel  visit¬ 
ed  her,  she  introduced  the  subject  of  religion,  and  tried 
to  create  in  his  mind  feelings  similar  to  those  she  had  ex¬ 
perienced  from  the  new  kind  of  preaching  she  had  heard. 
It  happened,  unfortunately,  either  that  her  cousin  re¬ 
quired  clearer  and  stronger  arguments  to  convince 
him,  than  had  been  effectual  with  her;  or  that  those  she 


A  DIALOGUE  ON 


238 


adduced,  if  they  originally  possessed  power,  were  depri¬ 
ved  of  it  in  the  process  of  passing  through  her  mind. 
Edward  Burrel  constantly  showed  himself  the  better  dis¬ 
putant.  Yet,  though  never  vanquished,  he  failed  on  his 
part  of  convincing  his  fair  cousin  of  her  antiquated  and 
superstitious  errors,  as  he  called  her  opinions.  This  be¬ 
ing  the  case,  he  resolved  to  arm  himself  more  thoroughly 
for  the  combat;  and  with  that  view,  read  all  the  deistical 
and  infidel  works  he  could  obtain.  Thus  strengthened 
in  his  belief,  that  no  divine  revelation  had  been  made  to 
mankind,  and  confirmed  in  the  opinion,  that  all  things 
owe  their  origin  to  chance,  and  that  annihilation  ensues 
on  the  dissolution  of  the  body;  he  renewed  the  con¬ 
troversy,  and  had  greatly  the  advantage  over  his  loqua¬ 
cious  antagonist. 

It  sometimes  happened  when  visiting  his  cousin,  that 
he  met  a  clergyman,  who,  having  learned  the  change  in 
the  lady’s  sentiments,  and  seen  her  at  his  church,  val¬ 
ued  such  an  acquisition  too  highly  to  risk  losing  it  by 
neglect.  He  therefore  called  upon  her,  as  frequently 
as  he  could  ascertain  that  her  father  was  absent;  for 
he  was  aware  that  his  visits  would  not  be  approved  by 
him,  and  that  the  rules  of  etiquette  did  not  justify  his 
visiting,  uninvited,  at  his  house.  Whenever  he  had 
opportunity,  he  did  not  fail  to  use  it,  to  confirm  her 
faith  in  the  views  which  she  had  embraced,  and  to  give 
her  more  and  deeper  prejudices  against  those  who  differ¬ 
ed  from  her  in  opinion.  He  reminded  her  that  Jesus 
Christ  had  declared  that  he  came  to  a  set  a  man  at  vari¬ 
ance  with  his  own  family,  and  the  daughter  against  her 
mother,”  and  that  u  a  man’s  foes  should  be  those  of  his 
own  household;  ”  and  this  he  assured  her  would  always 
be  the  case,  when  any  member  of  a  family  was  awakened 
to  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  and  became  converted;  and 


239 


CAUSES  OF  INFIDELITY. 


23 


should  such  prove  to  be  her  fate,  she  must  rejoice  to  be 
accounted  worthy  of  suffering  persecution  for  the  sake 
of  her  Saviour.  He  supplied  her  from  time  to  time 
with  arguments  to  maintain  her  warfare  with  her  infidel 
cousin:  and  occasionally,  when  these  two  champions  met, 
they  had  a  skirmish  on  the  debatable  ground.  The 
young  lady  profited  greatly  by  these  conversations,  and 
was  thereby  enabled  to  hold  on  the  controversy,  beyond 
all  Edward  Burrel’s  expectations.  He  often  invited  his 
friend  George  Henderson  to  visit  his  cousin  with  him; 
and  was  not  a  little  proud  to  have  such  a  witness  to  the 
victories,  which  he  obtained  in  their  polemical  discus¬ 
sions.  His  opponent,  as  usual,  became  more  dogmati¬ 
cal  and  pertinacious,  the  oftener  she  was  convicted  of  an 
absurdity,  and  rendered  unable  to  extricate  herself.  And 
she  might  at  length  have  been  discouraged,  and  disgus¬ 
ted  with  the  unequal  contest,  had  it  not  been  that  she 
sometimes  wandered  from  the  defence  of  the  creeds,  doc¬ 
trines,  and  speculations  of  men,  and  stood  on  scriptural 
ground;  and  then  the  fundamental  truths  of  the  Christian 
religion  supplied  her,  from  time  to  time,  with  unan¬ 
swerable  arguments.  The  strength  these  truths  afford¬ 
ed  her,  preserved  her  confidence  in  the  whole  system 
which  she  advocated;  and  left  her  without  a  doubt  as  to 
the  soundness  of  all  her  opinions. 

It  was,  on  the  other  hand,  the  circumstance  of  her  at¬ 
tempting  to  defend  the  palpable  absurdities  of  the  tenets 
she  had  embraced,  that  served  to  confirm  Edward  in  the 
belief,  that  her  whole  system  was  without  foundation. 
Thus  each  assisted  to  chain  the  other’s  mind  in  false 
notions. 

George  Henderson  had  been  furnished,  in  his  early 
education  by  his  mother,  with  such  sound  arguments  to 


24 


A  DIALOGUE  OX 


240 


prove  the  existence  of  Deity,  and  that  infinite  wisdom 
and  goodness  are  the  attributes  of  God,  that  Edward 
BurrePs  atheistical  opinions  could  make  no  impression 
on  his  mind.  He  had  been  led  from  his  earliest  recol¬ 
lections  to  perceive  and  adore  the  wonderful  manifes¬ 
tations  of  God’s  love  to  man,  his  wisdom  and  power,  in 
the  glorious  works  of  creation  and  providence;  and  no¬ 
thing  could  efface  the  deep  impression.  But  the  young 
lady  advocated  doctrines  so  evidently  absurd,  and  con¬ 
stantly  proved  to  be  so  by  Edward  Burrel,  that  the 
result  of  these  conversations,  in  respect  to  him,  was  in 
unison  with  his  prejudices,  and  tended  to  strengthen  his 
disbelief  of  revelation.  His  reading  confirmed  him  in 
these  views.  i  Edward  Burrel,5  he  thought, 6  does  not 
believe  enough;  there  is  incontestable  proof  of  a  First 
Great  Cause,  possessing  all  possible  perfections.  Louisa 
Seymour  believes  too  much;  it  is  absolutely  impossible 
that  an  infinite  can  be  contained  in  a  finite  being;  that 
God,  immeasurable,  unbounded,  eternal,  omnipresent,  as 
well  as  omnipotent  and  omniscient,  could  be  born  in  the 
circumscribed  form  of  man,  and  be  confined  to  pass  a 
temporal  life  on  earth,  and  then  die.  God  die!  It  is  a 
contradiction,  not  only  in  language,  but  in  ideas; — it 
may  as  rationally  be  said,  that  a  part  is  greater  than  a 
whole;  that  time  comprehends  eternity;  that  truth  is 
contained  in  falsehood;  and  goodness  in  sin.  God  re¬ 
mains  for  ever  in  his  own  infinite  existence;  diffusing,  by 
established  laws,  his  overflowing  bounty  on  his  depend¬ 
ant  creatures,  whom  he  will  ever  protect,  overrule,  and 
govern,  according  to  his  infinite  wisdom.5 


1st  Series. 


No.  22. 


EXCUSES 


FOR  THE 


NEGLECT  OF  THE  COMMUNION 


CONSIDERED. 


PRINTED  TOR  THE 


American  sanitarian  Association, 


BOSTON, 

BOWLES  &  DEARBORN,  50  WASHINGTON  STREET. 

1829. 


Price  4  Cents, 


BOSTON* 

Press  of  Isaac  R.  Butts  &  Co. 


EXCUSES  CONSIDERED. 


The  subject  of  the  Communion  is  one  in  which  it  has 
been  thought  that  Christians,  especially  the  younger  classes 
of  them,  should  feel  a  deeper  interest.  I  would  not 
lay  too  great  stress  on  the  external  ordinances  of  our  reli¬ 
gion  ;  but  certainly  they  should  receive  from  us  a  proper 
regard  ;  and  this,  it  is  to  be  feared,  too  many  are  slow  to 
pay  them.  I  am  sometimes  apprehensive,  that  the  ten¬ 
dency  of  the  age  is  to  place  the  positive  institutions  of 
religion  too  low  in  the  scale  of  Christian  duty.  We  talk 
much,  and  justly,  of  the  supremacy  of  the  moral  virtues  ; 
but  I  am  apt  to  think  that,  in  our  admiration  and  praise 
of  these,  we  are  in  danger  of  undervaluing  too  much  those 
inferior,  indeed,  but  important  duties,  which  consist  in 
certain  ordinances,  kindly  appointed  by  the  Saviour  as 
the  means  of  spiritual  attainments.  Very  true  it  is,  there 
is  no  merit  in  simply  coming  to  the  Christian  communion. 
Nor  is  there  any  merit  in  the  mere  performance  of  any 
religious  service.  But  this  does  not  prove  that  no  good 
springs  from  it,  nor  that,  by  wilful  neglect  of  it,  we  do 
not  forfeit  the  approbation  of  our  Lord.  “  Ye  are  my 
friends,”  said  he,  “  if  ye  do  whatsoever  I  command  you.’1 
Now  what  command  of  his  is  more  positive  and  unequiv¬ 
ocal  than — “  Do  this  in  remembrance  of  me.”  How  is  it. 

j  ' 

that  any  can  excuse  themselves  in  disobeying  this  injunc- 


4 


NEGLECT  OF  THE  COMMUNION. 


244 


tion  ?  The  authority  of  him  who  imposed  it  will  not, 
certainly,  be  called  in  question.  All  believe,  I  presume, 
that  what  Christ  commanded,  was  virtually  the  com¬ 
mand  of  God.  Nothing,  therefore,  which  he  has  or¬ 
dained  for  his  followers,  can  be  deemed  optional  or  use¬ 
less.  This,  doubtless,  all  are  ready  to  admit.  How,  then, 
do  Christians  excuse  themselves  in  neglecting  the  com¬ 
munion  service  ?  The  answers  that  have  been  given 
to  this  inquiry  are  various.  Upon  some  of  them  I  am 
now  to  remark  ;  and  in  doing  it,  must  claim  your  indul¬ 
gence  for  that  plainness  of  speech,  which,  in  the  discus¬ 
sion  of  such  topics,  is  both  necessary  and  useful,  and  for 
that  directness  of  address,  by  which  I  hope  to  secure  the 
personal  interest  of  my  reader. 

I  begin  with  what  may  be  considered  a  plausible  ex¬ 
cuse  with  some — a  sort  of  lurking  skepticism.  You  refrain 
from  the  communion  because  you  are  not  certain  it  was  in¬ 
tended  by  the  Saviour  to  be  perpetual  in  the  church.  Now 
in  reply  to  this  let  me  say  first — suppose  the  case  stronger 
than  yours.  Suppose  you  not  only  dovbted ,  but  knew 
that  the  command  in  question  was  not  designed  to  extend 
to  our  times  as  obligatory  upon  Christians.  Would 
it,  therefore,  be  best  to  abandon  the  communion  table  1 
Is  it  wise  to  refrain  from  everything  for  which  we 
have  not  a  positive  injunction  ?  There  certainly  can 
be  no  harm  arising  from  this  service.  We  think  it  is 
productive  of  much  good.  Why,  then,  abandon  it  ? 
Because  you  think  you  were  not  commanded  to  attend 
upon  it  1  But  you  do  not  act  upon  this  principle  in  other 
concerns.  You  do  many  good  things  for  which  there  is 
in  the  scriptures  no  express  direction.  Take  an  instance. 
You  do  not  wait  for  a  command  to  celebrate  the  anniver¬ 
saries  of  important  political  events.  You  go  voluntarily, 


245 


NEGLECT  OF  THE  COMMUNION. 


5 


and  joyfully,  to  these  festivals, — and  why  ?  Because  in¬ 
teresting  recollections  crowd  on  you  there,  and  your  pa¬ 
triotism  is  kindled  into  a  brighter  flame,  and  you  are  made 
a  better  and  a  happier  citizen.  And  can  you  tell  me  why 
you  should  wait,  at  all  the  more,  for  a  command  to  cele¬ 
brate  the  feast  commemorative  of  the  Saviour  of  the 

world  ?  For  myself,  command  or  no  command,  I  would 

* 

celebrate  it — for  it  puts  me  in  mind  of  my  greatest  bene¬ 
factor,  my  piety  and  my  benevolence  are  inspirited  with 
new  life,  and  I  am  made  a  better  and  happier  Christian. 

Your  case,  however,  is  by  no  means  such  as  I  have  been 
supposing.  You  do  not  pretend  to  know  that  Jesus  did 
not  design  the  Lord’s  supper  to  be  obligatory  on  Christians 
of  the  present  time.  You  only  say  you  have  doubts  about 
it.  Now,  as  you  are  certain  no  evil  can  come  of  the 
service,  and  probably  some  good  will  result  from  it,  does 
not  wisdom  urge  you  to  join  the  communion  ?  In  this, 
you  cannot  but  perceive,  is  your  greatest  safety,  even 
on  the  ground  of  your  doubts  as  to  its  positive  obligation. 
You  may,  some  time,  be  convinced  of  its  obligatory  na¬ 
ture,  and  then  the  thought  that  you  had  neglected  it  will 
give  you  pain. 

But,  may  I  not  ask,  in  the  next  place,  why  it  is  that 
you  have  any  such  doubts  on  the  subject  ?  That  Jesus 
enjoined  the  observance  of  the  communion  on  his  first 
disciples,  you  admit.  What  reason  have  you  for  suspect¬ 
ing  that  it  was  intended  to  be  confined  to  them  1  Can 
you  cite  a  single  passage  from  the  New  Testament  which 
intimates  such  a  design  1  You  cannot.  If,  then,  the 
scriptures  place  no  limitation  on  the  Saviour’s  command, 
why  will  you  ?  Is  there  anything  in  the  nature  of  the 
ordinance  that  should  lead  you  to  suppose  it  was  to  be 
temporary  in  the  church  ?  No.  It  is  simple,  significant, 

VOL.  II.  1* 


6 


NEGLECT  OP  THE  COMMUNION. 


246 


applicable  to  Christians  in  every  age  and  clime,  and 
useful  to  all  who  use  it  well.  Consider,  too,  the  reason 
our  Saviour  gave  at  the  time  he  appointed  it.  “  Drink  ye 
all  ol  it,  fur  this  is  my  blood  of  the  new  testament,  which 
is  shed  for  many ” — shed,  certainly,  not  for  his  imme¬ 
diate  disciples  alone,  but  also  for  the  multitudes  that  were 
to  succeed  them.  This  reason,  you  perceive,  addresses 
itself  to  us  with  as  much  force  as  it  did  to  the  twelve. 
What,  again,  was  the  design  of  the  communion?  Re¬ 
membrance  of  Christ.  “  Do  this  in  remembrance  of  me.” 
And  have  we  less  occasion  to  remember  our  Saviour  than 
the  first  Christians  had  ?  Have  we  less  need  to  use  the 
means  of  calling  what  he  said,  and  did,  and  suffered,  to 
our  recollection  ?  Besides,  did  not  our  Saviour,  after  his 
resurrection,  say  to  his  disciples,  “  Go  and  teach  all  na¬ 
tions  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded 
you  ?  ”  But,  had  he  not  commanded  them  to  com¬ 
memorate  him  in  the  communion  ?  Now,  as  he  made 
no  exception  as  to  this  ordinance,  in  his  last  directions 
to  his  disciples,  must  they  not  have  felt  themselves  bound 
to  inculcate  this,  amongst  other  Christian  duties,  upon 
their  converts?  I  see  not  how  it  could  have  been  other¬ 
wise.  Was  it  otherwise  in  fact  ?  Let  us  advert  to  the 
known  opinions  and  practices  of  the  apostles,  respecting 
the  Lord’s  supper.  They  could  not,  especially  after  Pen¬ 
tecost.  have  been  ignorant  of  the  real  intention  of  their 
Master  concerning  it.  Read  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles, 
and  you  will  find  it  often  alluded  to.  Is  there  a  word  in 
that  history  implying  that  it  was  to  be  temporary  ?  Not 
one.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  spoken  of  as  an  ordinance 
of  the  church,  during  the  period,  of  which  that  book 
professes  to  give  an  account ;  or  at  least,  for  the  space 
of  nearly  thirty  years  after  our  Saviour’s  ascension. 


247 


NEGLF.CT  OF  THE  COMMUNION. 


7 


Nor  is  this  all.  The  question,  it  seems  to  me,  is  settled 
by  the  testimony  of  Paul.  He  received,  as  he  tells  us, 
his  knowledge  of  Christianity,  by  special  revelation  from 
Jesus  Christ.  And  among  the  communications  made  to 
him  from  this  source,  he  mentions  the  account  of  the 
Lord's  supper.  Accordingly,  we  find  him  enjoining  the 
proper  observance  of  this  rite  upon  the  Corinthians,  in  his 
epistle  to  them.  Mark  the  date  of  this.  It  was  more  than 
a  quarter  of  a  century  after  the  institution  of  the  ordi¬ 
nance.  And  here  is  the  point  to  be  dwelt  upon.  If  Christ 

v 

did  not  intend  the  rite  should  continue  in  the  church, 
why  did  he,  at  so  late  a  period,  reveal  it  to  Paul  ?  And 
why  did  Paul,  if  he  did  not  suppose  it  was  to  be  a  perma¬ 
nent  ordinance,  recommend  it  to  the  Corinthians,  with 
minute  directions  as  to  its  proper  observance,  more  than 
twentyfive  years  after  our  Saviour’s  death  ;  and  that,  too, 
without  giving  a  single  hint  from  which  anything  could 
be  inferred,  but,  that  it  wras  to  be  a  standing  rite  in  the 
church  in  succeeding  generations  ?  It  seems  to  me  the 
conclusion  is  irresistible. 

If  any  further  confirmation  is  desired,  we  have  the  tes¬ 
timony  of  Justin  Martyr,  who  flourished  about  forty  years 
after  the  last  of  the  apostles  left  the  world,  that  is,  about 
one  hundred  and  ten  years  after  Christ.  From  him  we 
learn  that  the  Lord’s  supper  still  continued  to  be  an  or¬ 
dinance  of  the  church.  His  words  are  these  :  “  On  the 

day  that  is  called  Sunday,  there  is  an  assembly  of  all  who 
live  in  the  cities,  or  in  the  country ;  and  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles,  and  the  writings  of  the  Prophets  are  read,  ac¬ 
cording  as  the  time  will  permit.  The  president  discourses, 
instructing  the  people,  and  exhorting  them  to  good  actions. 
Then  we  stand  up  to  pray,  and  after  prayer,  bread  and 
wine,  with  water,  are  brought,  and  the  president  offers 


8 


NEGLECT  OF  THE  COMMUNION. 


248 


prayers  and  thanksgiving  as  he  is  able,  and  the  people 
join  in  saying,  amen.  Then  there  is  a  distribution  and  a 
partaking  of  the  things  for  which  thanks  were  given.” 
Here,  you  see,  the  celebration  of  the  Lord’s  supper  is 
declared,  by  an  unexceptionable  witness,  to  be  the  regu¬ 
lar  practice  of  all  Christians  in  the  age  next  succeeding 
that  of  the  apostles.  Ecclesiastical  history  is  full  of  proof 
that,  from  Justin  Martyr’s  time  to  the  present,  the  com¬ 
munion  has  been  regarded  as  a  permanent  ordinance  of 
the  Christian  religion. 

Thus  I  have  glanced  at  some  of  the  topics  of  argument 
by  which  it  is  proved  that  the  Lord’s  supper  was  designed 
for  his  disciples  of  all  times.  And  now,  with  the 
solicitude  which  it  is  natural  for  every  follower  of  Jesus 
to  feel,  and  with  the  plainness  which  one  Christian 
brother  may  always  use  to  another,  I  ask  you,  why 
it  is  that,  in  our  religious  assemblies,  comparatively 
so  few  participate  in  the  elements  of  that  feast,  which  was 
intended  to  commemorate  their  greatest  benefactor  ? 
What  further  excuses  have  you  to  offer  for  the  neglect  of 
the  communion  ?  State  them,  and  they  shall  have  a  can¬ 
did  hearing. 

V - ' 

Will  you  tell  me  that  this  service  is  fenced  round  with 
creeds  of  man’s  making,  so  that  you  cannot  conscientiously 
come  to  it  ?  In  our  churches  no  one  can  say  that  such 
is  the  fact.  We  have  no  creed  but  the  Bible.  But  are 
there  not  promises  to  be  made,  you  ask,  perhaps,  which 
will  be  as  shackles  upon  our  minds  in  our  future  inquiries  ? 
That  there  are  not  such  in  some  churches  of  a  different 
faith  from  ours,  I  do  not  take  it  upon  myself  to  affirm. 
But  as  to  our  own,  I  answer,  there  are  no  such  promises 
required.  A  man  enjoys  as  much  freedom  of  thought  in 
the  church,  as  out  of  it.  Every  member  is  left  to  be 


249 


NEGLECT  OF  THE  COMMUNION. 


9 


guided  in  al!  things  by  the  light  of  his  own  conscience, 
just  as  much  after  having  come  to  the  communion  as  be¬ 
fore. 

But  shall  we  not,  you  may  inquire,  assume,  in  the  sight 
of  God,  some  new  obligations,  by  joining  the  church  ? 
Suppose  I  should  say  yes, — what  then  ?  If  they  arc  only 
the  obligations  which  the  religion  you  acknowledge  to  be 
divine,  makes  it  your  duty  to  assume,  would  you  decline 
them?  Would  you  shrink  from  any  responsibleness  your 
Maker  designed  you  should  sustain  ?  Would  you  escape 
from  the  burden  of  a  known  duty?  This  were  unmanly, 
not  to  say  unchristian.  But  I  do  not  so  answer  the  ques¬ 
tion.  On  the  contrary,  I  say  that  the  profession  of  a 
religion  you  believe,  implies,  in  the  sight  of  God,  no  new 
obligations.  As  believers  in  the  divine  authority  of 
Christianity,  you  are  just  as  strongly  bound  to  obey  its 
injunctions  before  you  tell  the  world  of  your  faith,  and 
join  the  church,  as  afterward.  Neither  the  words  of  your 
profession,  nor  the  act  of  your  communion,  and,  I  may 
add,  not  both  together,  can  make  any  difference  as  to 
the  number  of  your  obligations.  It  is  true,  it  would  be  a 
natural  effect  of  these  words  and  of  this  act  to  make  you 
feel  more  deeply  the  obligations  you  were  under  before. 
And  this  is  a  reason  why  you  should  declare  the  one  and 
perform  the  other.  For  who  should  not  wish  to  feel  as 
deeply  as  possible  the  obligations  that  are  upon  him,  and 
from  a  faithful  discharge  of  which  be  cannot  escape  with 
impunity  ?  But  as  to  a  man’s  taking  upon  himself  any 
new  obligations  by  joining  a  Christian  church,- — it  is  a 
.  mere  fiction.  A  creature  of  God,  living  under  the  full 
light  of  Christian  truth,  assume  new  obligations  !  It  is 
impossible.  The  obligations  of  every  believer  of  the 
gospel,  are  now  as  many,  and  as  strong,  as  if  he  had 


10 


NEGLECT  OF  THE  COMMUNION. 


250 


proclaimed  his  convictions  to  the  universe,  and  had 
commemorated  the  death  of  Christ  in  every  church  on 
the  globe. 

But  will  not  the  eyes  of  the  world  be  turned  on  us,  if 
we  join  the  church,  you  may  ask,  and  will  not  more  be 
expected  of  us  by  our  fellow  men  ?  I  answer,  suppose 
this  should  be  the  case,  and  suppose,  too,  that  it  should 
be  an  evil.  It  would  be,  at  the  most,  but  incidental  to 
the  performance  of  a  duty.  And  is  duty  to  be  neglecied 
for  the  evil  incident  to  it  ?  But  this  is  not  all  that  may 
be  said  to  the  question.  Is  it  an  evil  to  be  so  situated  as 
to  have  the  eyes  of  the  community  upon  us,  and  to  have 
much  expected  of  us  ?  It  seems  to  me  to  be  an  impoitant 
advantage.  It  is  an  additional  motive  to  exertion,  and 
such  most  of  us  need.  Whose  interest  is  it  not  to  be  as 
virtuous  as  he  can  be  ?  And  what  is  more  iikelv  to  con- 
duce  to  this  end,  than  the  consciousness  that  the  eye  of 
the  world  is  upon  him,  and  that  his  fellow  men  expect 
much  hom  him  ?  What  you  urge,  therefore,  as  an  excuse 
for  neglecting  the  communion,  I  should  offer  as  an  in¬ 
ducement  to  the  observance  of  it. 

But  you  fear,  perhaps,  that  should  you  make  a  profes¬ 
sion  of  religion,  you  might  dishonor  it,  by  not  living  up 
to  its  principles.  And  are  you  certain  that  you  have  not 
made  a  profession  of  religion,  at  least  virtually,  already  ? 
It  seems  to  me  that  you  have,  in  effect,  done  so,  every  time 
you  have  joined  in  public  worship.  If  you  concede  this, 
then  are  you  not  note  in  as  great  danger  of  dishonoring 
your  religion  by  not  living  up  to  its  principles,  as  you 
would  be  after  coming  to  the  communion?  If  you  do 
not  concede  this — if  you  say  that  you  have,  in  no  sense, 
professed  the  religion  you  believe, — alleging  for  excuse 
that  you  feared  you  might  dishonor  it  by  an  unworthy 


251 


NEGLECT  OF  THE  COMMUNION. 


11 


life, —  then,  allow  me  to  ask,  is  it  not  dishonoring  your  re¬ 
ligion  to  make  no  profession  of  it  at  all  ?  Is  it  not  disobey¬ 
ing  a  positive  command  of  the  author  of  it  ?  This  excuse 
strikes  me  as  a  strange  one.  What  is  it  but  founding  an 
apology  for  present  disobedience  on  the  fear  of  disobedi¬ 
ence  in  future  ?  You  neglect  a  known  duty  today,  from  the 
apprehension  that  you  may  neglect  some  imagined  duty 
tomorrow.  Your  fear,  it  seems  to  me,  should  operate  in 
a  manner  entirely  different  from  this.  It  ought  to  bring 
you  to  the  ordinance  immediately.  For  thus  you  would 
not  only  be  honoring  your  religion  now;  but  you  would 
be  doing  something,  at  the  same  time,  to  secure  yourself 
against  dishonoring  it  hereafter,  since  one  act  of  obedi¬ 
ence  performed  renders  another  more  easy  and  cer¬ 
tain.  Besides,  if  you  are  sincere  in  your  expression 
of  fear — if  you  are,  in  truth,  so  tremblingly  alive  to  the 
interests  of  religion,  as  to  think  of  neglecting  its  ordi¬ 
nances,  through  dread  of  dishonoring  it  by  your  moral 
delinquencies— then,  what  is  to  be  said  further,  but  that 
the  very  sentiment,  which  the  excuse  betrays,  is  no  small 
indication  of  your  qualifications  for  the  communion.  Few 
persons,  it  may  be  presumed,  whose  solicitude  is  so  awake 
for  the  reputation  of  Christianity,  can  be  unworthy  of  its 
privileges,  or  likely  to  bring  reproach  upon  its  name  by 
an  open  profession  of  its  truth,  and  an  open  participation 
of  its  ordinances. 

Yet  others  have  disgraced  their  profession,  you  say. 
And  what  is  this  to  you,  except  as  a  source  of  grief,  and 
a  caution  against  your  own  misuse  of  it  ?  That  one  man 
abuses  a  good  thing  is  no  reason  why  others  should  ne¬ 
glect  it.  Much  less  is  a  known  duty  to  be  omitted  by  us, 
because  our  neighbor  has  performed  it  badly.  True, 
there  are  those  who  have  disgraced  their  profession.  But 


TO 

i  M 


NEGLECT  OF  TIIE  COMMUNION. 


252 


will  you  urge  this  as  a  reason  for  your  making  no  profes¬ 
sion  ?  Then,  you  are  willing  to  plead  in  justification  of 
your  neglect  in  religious  matters,  what  you  will  not  plead 
in  respect  to  anything  else.  Have  not  others  abused  their 
riches  1  But  you  do  not,  therefore,  refuse  to  grow  rich. 
Have  not  others  prostituted  their  knowledge  to  unhallowed 
purposes  1  But  you  do  not,  therefore,  choose  to  live  in 
ignorance.  Have  not  others  prayed  without  a  spark  of 
true  piety?  But  you  do  not  on  that  account  refrain  from 
prayer.  And  why  will  you  refrain  from  the  communion 
because  some,  it  may  be,  abuse  it  ?  Why  will  you  plead 
in  excuse  for  your  neglect  of  this,  what  you  think  not  of 
urging  in  excuse  for  anything  else  ? 

But  you  do  not  think  yourselves  good  enough  for  the 
communion.  The  humility,  which  this  plea  often  indi¬ 
cates,  I  respect.  It  befits  us,  however,  to  be  on  our  guard 
lest  our  humility  be  an  obstacle  to  our  duty.  You  say 
you  are  not  good  enough.  Do  you  mean  by  this  that  you 
have  no  regard  to  God  and  Christ — that  you  love  sin  bet¬ 
ter  than  virtue — that  you  have  no  wish  to  be  obedient  and 
holy  ?  Then,  indeed,  I  am  of  your  opinion — you  are  not 
good  enough  for  the  communion.  And  I  should  be  of 
your  opinion,  also,  were  you  to  affirm  that  you  were  not 
good  enough  to  live  among  men,  or  to  breathe  God’s 
air.  But  you  do  not  mean  this.  By  far  the  larger 
portion  of  those  whom  I  address  are,  I  doubt  not,  of 
a  very  different  character.  You  are  believers  in 
Christianity,  and  it  is  your  desire  and  aim  to  obey 
its  injunctions.  If  so,  then  you  are  good  enough  for 
the  communion.  There  is  no  valid  reason  for  your 
delaying  to  come  to  it.  Let  it  be,  that  you  are  still  im¬ 
perfect.  Who  is  not  so  1  The  service  was  designed  for 
such.  It  was  intended  to  be  a  means  of  improvement, 


253 


neglect  of  tiie  communion. 


13 


which  implies  imperfection.  What  are  the  scriptural 
qualifications  for  the  service  ?  Perfection  ?  No.  But 
belief  in  Christ  and  sincere  purposes  of  obedience.  Have 
you  these,  then  delay  not  to  come  to  the  communion. 

Yet  so,  you  tell  me,  do  not  all  your  religious  friends 
counsel  you.  Do  not  ?  Why  ?  What  reason  do  they  give 
for  advising  you  to  postpone  this  compliance  with  the 
will  of  Christ  ?  Is  it  that  your  opinions  do  not  ac¬ 
cord  with  theirs  ?  The  only  question  with  you  should 
be,  whether  your  opinions  agree  with  the  teachings  of 
Jesus  and  his  apostles  ?  It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  all 
Christians  should  think  alike  on  every  subject.  Yet  that 
they  do  not,  is  no  reason  why  any  should  be  kept  from  the 
communion.  Is  it  to  be  supposed  our  Saviour  did  not 
know  that  a  diversity  of  views  prevailed  among  his  twelve 
disciples?  Nevertheless,  he  invited  them  all  to  his  table. 
But  your  religious  experiences  have  not  been  precisely 
like  those  of  your  friends.  And  do  they,  on  this  account, 
discourage  your  joining  the  church  ?  The  only  question 
with  you,  again,  should  be,  do  you  possess  the  spirit  of 
your  Master  ?  It  is  no  just  occasion  of  alarm  and  hesita¬ 
tion  to  you  that  your  feelings  have  not  been  the  same  with 
others’.  It  is  impossible,  in  the  nature  of  things,  for  all 
persons  to  have  precisely  the  same  experiences — for  all  are 
not  equally  guilty ;  all  have  not  the  same  change  to  under¬ 
go;  ail  are  not  possessed  of  the  same  natural  tempera¬ 
ment  ;  all  have  not  the  same  knowledge  ;  all  are  not  placed 
in  the  same  circumstances  ;  nor  have  all  the  same  means. 
Now,  in  view  of  such  diversities,  who  may  presume  to 
pronounce  another  unworthy  of  the  communion,  for  not 
having  gone  through  the  full  course  of  his  own  spiritual 
exercises?  You  may  be  a  Christian,  and  I  may  be  a 

VOL.  II.  2 


14 


NEGLECT  OF  THE  COMMUNION. 


254 


Christian,  and  our  neighbor  may  be  a  Christian,  and  yet 
our  experiences  may  have  been  exceedingly  diverse.  In 
a  word,  is  it  your  desire  and  aim  to  conform  your  opin¬ 
ions,  feelings,  and  conduct  to  the  standard  of  the  gospel  ? 
then,  let  not  the  scruples  of  your  friends,  as  to  your  fitness 
for  the  Lord’s  Supper,  prevent  your  coming  to  it. 

But  it  is  so  holy  a  service  you  dare  not  engage  in  it.  So 
holy  a  service  !  How  am  I  to  understand  you  ?  Certainly 
you  will  not,  in  this  enlightened  age,  say  that  any  peculiar 
sanctity  is  transmitted  to  the  elements  of  the  communion, 
by  their  consecration  to  sacred  purposes.  A  holy  service  ! 
I  grant  that  it  is  so,  and  I  thank  God  for  it.  But  in  what 
sense  is  it  holy  ?  Only  as  its  purpose  is  holy — that  is,  to 
make  us  devout,  virtuous,  more  like  Jesus  Christ.  In 
other  words,  it  is  holy  just  as  all  the  other  institutions  of 
religion  are  so — viz.  for  their  holy  ends.  But  you  do  not 
refrain  from  these.  Why  should  you  from  that  ?  There 
cannot  be  a  more  holy  service  than  prayer  ;  yet  you  en¬ 
gage  in  this,  without  those  feelings  of  dread  and  supersti¬ 
tious  awe  with  which  you  contemplate  the  communioni 
There  is  no  reason  whatever  for  the  difference.  But  sup¬ 
pose,  for  a  moment,  that  it  were  more  holy  than  the  other 
services  of  religion — what  should  follow  ?  Not,  certainly, 
that  you  should  neglect  it  the  more,  but  that  you  should 
give  to  it  the  greater  heed.  Its  superior  sanctity  consist¬ 
ing,  according  to  the  supposition,  in  the  larger  power  of 
its  sanctifying  influences,  you  ought  to  be  proportionably 
more  solicitous  to  avail  yourselves  of  its  advantages. 
Thus,  you  perceive,  your  plea  is  turned  against  you.  That 
the  ordinance  is  a  holy  service  is  a  very  good  reason  why 
you  should  observe  it,  but  a  very  bad  reason  why  you 
should  neglect  it. 


255 


NEGLECT  OF  THE  COMMUNION. 


15 


And  so  we  might  be  induced  to  think,  you  confess, 
were  it  not  for  some  passages  in  the  scriptures  that  deter 
us.  But  what  passages,  let  me  ask  ?  1  know  of  none 

that  ought  to  have  this  effect.  Do  you  remind  me  of  the 
fate  of  him  who  was  found  at  the  wedding  feast  without  a 
proper  garment  ?  But  this  was  not  intended  to  relate  to 
the  Lord’s  supper.  Nevertheless,  if  you  suppose  it  may 
be  so  applied,  what  does  it  teach  you?  That  you  would 
be  safer  in  staying  away  from  the  communion  than  in 
coming  to  it?  Not  at  all.  For  they  who  are  repre¬ 
sented  in  the  parable  as  slighting  the  king’s  invitation 
and  refusing  to  be  present  at  the  feast,  were  treated  with 
quite  as  much  severity  as  the  unworthy  guest.  Do  you 
refer  me  now  to  a  passage  in  the  first  epistle  to  the  Co¬ 
rinthians  ?  It  is  the  only  one  to  your  purpose  in  the 
sacred  volume.  We  will  consider  it.  Paul  says,  “  Who- 
ever  sha  1  eat  this  bread  and  drink  this  cup  of  the  Lord, 
unworthily,  shall  be  guilty  of  the  body  and  blood  of  the 
Lord  — and  again,  <f  He  that  eateth  and  drinketli  un¬ 
worthily,  (  ateth  and  drin  eth  damnation  to  himself,  not 
discerning  the  Lord’s  body.”  The  reference  and  import 
of  these  words  have  been  strangely  misapprehended. 
Correctly  interpreted,  they  neither  express  nor  imply  any 
thing  that  should  keep  sincere  believers  away  from  the 
communion.  They  were  designed  to  have  reference  to 
extreme  abuses  in  the  Corinthian  church — abuses  which 
it  is  next  to  impossible  should  occur  now.  It  was  no¬ 
thing  less  than  gross  intemperance  that  the  apostle  so 
sharply  rebuked.  This  it  was  which  he  meant  by  their 
“  eating  and  drinking  unworthily  ;  ”  and  as  to  the  phrase, 
“  not  discerning  the  Lord’s  body,”  the  import  of  it  is — 
making  no  proper  difference  between  a  commemorative 


16 


NEGLECT  OP  THE  COMMUNION# 


256 


Christian  ordinance  and  a  licentious  heathen  feast.  In 
thus  turning  the  simple  and  significant  service  of  the 
communion  into  a  scene  of  intemperance  and  riot,  they 
were  “guilty  of  the  body  and  blood  of  the  Lord” — 
guilty,  that  is,  of  treating  the  memorials  of  him,  or  as  we 
might  say,  his  memory,  with  gross  disrespect.  And 
what,  according  to  Paul,  was  the  penalty  annexed  to  this 
abuse  of  the  ordinance  1  “Damnation,”  as  it  is  ren- 
dered  in  the  common  translation  ;  which,  however, 
Doddridge  “thinks  the  most  unhappy  mistake  in  all  our 
version  of  the  Bible.”  And  so  perhaps  it  is.  The  ori¬ 
ginal  word  does  not  here  mean  what  “  damnation  ”  com¬ 
monly  signifies  with  us,  any  more  than  it  does  in  James 
iii.  1,  where  it  is  translated  “condemnation.”  But  it 
means  temporal  punishmnit ,  such  as  weakness,  sickness, 
and  death,  as  is  evident  from  the  next  verse.  “  For  this 
cause  many  are  weak  and  sickly  among  you.”  And  this, 
as  the  apostle  says,  was  by  way  of  salutary  chastise¬ 
ment,  in  order  that,  being  reformed  by  it,  they  “  might 
not  be  condemned  with  the  world.”  Such  is  the  true 
explanation  of  the  passage  in  question.  It  was  intended 
to  be  local  and  particular  in  its  application.  It  was  a 
severe  rebuke  of  a  profanation  that  has  never  occurred 
among  us,  and  probably  never  will.  You  see,  therefore, 
how  little  reason  there  is  for  any  sincere  believer  in 
Christianity  of  the  present  day  to  be  prevented  from 
coming  to  the  communion,  as  though  it  were  a  rite,  which 
it  would  be  hazardous  to  approach.  Even  the  Corinthi¬ 
ans  themselves  were  not  advised  bv  Paul  to  refrain  from 

m 

it,  but  to  engage  in  it  with  better  views  and  dispositions. 

Yet  it  is  a  service  that  requires  befitting  prepara¬ 
tion  of  mind,  and  this,  you  say,  you  have  not  leisure  to 


257 


NEGLECT  OF  THE  COMMUNION. 


17 


make.  Just  as  well  may  the  child  say  he  has  not  leis- 
ure  for  gratitude  and  love  towards  his  parents.  What 
preparation  do  you  think  necessary  for  this  service,  which 
is  not  equally  so  for  the  worship  of  the  sanctuary,  for  your 
dady  devotions,  nay,  for  every  event  and  duty  of  your 
lives  ?  True,  preparation  is  requisite  for  a  proper  ob¬ 
servance  of  the  ordinance  in  question.  But  it  is  only  the 
preparation  which  every  one  ought,  and  which  every 
good  man  aims,  to  carry  with  him  into  all  his  avocations. 
He  who  is  prepared  to  perform  his  social  duties  and  to 
transact  his  ordinary  business  in  a  Christian  manner,  is 
also  prepared  to  join  the  communion  in  a  Christian  man¬ 
ner.  To  say  that  you  are  not  prepared  for  the  Lord’s 
supper,  is  as  much  as  to  say  you  are  prepared  for  no 
duty.  Live  as  a  Christian  should  live  during  the  six  days 
of  the  week,  and  you  will  have  all  the  preparation  that  is 
required  for  the  worthy  participation  of  the  Lord’s  sup¬ 
per  on  the  seventh.  He  who  deserves  the  Christian 
name  is  always  prepared  for  the  communion,  whatever 

be  his  social  engagements,  or  the  pressure  of  his  busi- 
ness. 

Still  you  hesitate.  The  thought  lurks  among  your 
other  thoughts,  that  joining  in  the  communion  implies, 
and  requires,  something  like  an  ascetic  rigor  of  manners 
and  life.  It  seems  to  you,  perhaps,  that  should  you 
come  to  this  ordinance,  you  would  feel  yourselves  obliged 
to  forego  the  pleasure  of  certain  amusements  and  pur¬ 
suits,  which  you  have  been  accustomed  to  value.  And 
so  you  would,  I  should  hope,  if  your  pursuits  and  amuse¬ 
ments  are  criminal.  And  if  they  are  criminal,  why  do 
you  not  now  feel  yourselves  obliged  to  forego  them? 
Are  not  such  pursuits  and  amusements  forbidden  by 

VOL.  ii.  2* 


18 


NEGLECT  OF  THE  COMMUNION. 


253 


God  ?  and  do  not  his  commands  reach  you  just  as  much 
in  your  present  situation,  as  they  would,  were  you  con- 
nected  with  the  church  ?  But  you  think  your  amuse¬ 
ments  and  pursuits  innocent  and  useful.  If  it  be  so, 
then  what  is  there  in  the  communion  to  prevent  you 
from  continuing  them  ?  There  is  nothing  in  the  Lord’s 
supper,  nor  in  any  part  of  Christianity,  that  forbids  what 
is  innocent  and  useful,  by  whatever  name  it  is  called. 
Either  your  occupations  and  pleasures  are  innocent,  or 
they  are  not.  If  they  are  innocent,  pursue  them,  and  let 
them  be  no  obstacle  to  your  coming  to  the  table  of  the 
Saviour.  If  they  are  not  innocent,  then  for  God’s  sake, 
for  your  soul’s  sake,  give  them  up.  Think  not  that  they 
are  the  less  criminal,  or  the  less  fatal,  because  you  are 
not  members  of  the  church.  In  the  eye  of  God,  what¬ 
ever  men  may  fancy,  the  faults  of  such  as  refrain  from 
t lie  communion  are  fraught  with  as  much  guilt,  as  the 
faults  of  those  who  engage  in  it. 

But  our  associates  will  ridicule  us  if  we  go  to  the  com- 
munion,  you  say.  And  has  it  come  to  this?  W  II  }ou 
confess  to  me  that  the  fear  of  a  little  ridicule  shall  keep 
you  from  an  acknowledged  duty  ?  Shall  the  words  of  a 
few  companions,  frail  ana  erring  as  you  know  them  to 
be,  have  more  power  over  you  than  the  words  of  Jesus 
Christ  ?  Shall  the  dread  of  reproach  from  human  lips 
be  stronger  within  you  than  the  dread  of  God’s  displea¬ 
sure  ?  Will  you  sacrifice  your  spiritual  improvement 
and  satisfaction  to  the  love  of  popularity,  which,  after  all, 
you  may  not  gain,  take  what  course  you  may?  Will  you 
so  degrade  yourselves  as  to  subject  conscience  to  the 
every  varying  whims  of  those  around  you  ?  I  cannot 
believe  it.  You  are  not  so  wanting  in  moral  courage. 


259 


NEGLECT  OF  THE  COMMUNION. 


19 


You  would  be  ashamed  of  so  miserable  a  cowar  lice. 
No.  If  you  have  the  heart  of  a  man  within  you,  you 
would  rise  above  such  taunts.  Your  associates  will  ridi¬ 
cule  you,  if  you  should  go  to  the  communion  !  Then, 
let  me  say  farther,  this  very  circumstance  proves  that 
you  have  made  a  very  poor  choice  of  associates.  They 
are  unworthy  of  your  regard.  Ridicule  you  for  doing 

your  duty  as  a  religious  being — as  a  creature  of  God — 

% 

as  an  heir  of  immortality!  You  should  blush,  to  have 
any  intimacy  with  such  companions.  You  cannot  with¬ 
draw  from  their  fellowship  too  soon.  It  is  a  disgrace  to 
be  connected  with  them,  even  if  you  have  no  desire  to 
join  the  church. 

But  are  we  not  too  young,  you  are  ready  to  ask,  for 
the  duty  under  consideration  ?  Too  young?  Whence 
have  you  derived  this  thought?  The  scriptures  are  full 
of  exhortations  to  early  religious  culture.  And  as  to  the 
Lord’s  supper,  that  valuable  means  of  this  culture, 
there  are  few  historical  facts  better  established  than  that 
young  persons,  nay,  children  themselves,  were  admitted 
to  it  in  the  first  ages  of  the  christia  i  church.  Besides, 
what  is  there  in  the  ordinance,  that  is  not  at  least  well 
suited  to  the  young  as  to  the  old  ?  It  is  not  a  mysterious 
rite,  which  the  youthful  mind  is  unable  to  understand. 
Even  the  child  can  be  made  to  comprehend  its  nature 
and  design.  Nor  is  it,  rightly  viewed,  a  gloomy  service. 
On  the  contrary,  it  is  a  cheerful  one,  and  perfectly  ac¬ 
cordant  with  the  joyous  feelings,  an  I  animated  hopes  of 
the  juvenile  age.  Were  it  calculated  to  throw  the  chills 
and  gloom  of  winter  over  the  spring-time  of  your  life, 
there  would,  I  confess,  be  some  reason  for  your  avoiding  it. 
But,  believe  me,  it  never  has  this  effect,  but  by  its  abuse. 


20 


NEGLECT  OF  THE  COMMUNION. 


260 


It  was  designed  to  add  warmth  to  your  good  feelings, 
and  brightness  to  your  prospects.  And  then,  too,  how 
beautiful  is  the  spectacle,  when  the  youthful  circle 
gathers  round  the  table  of  the  Christian  communion. 
'Even  the  irreligious  are  forced  to  confess  there  is  some- 
thing  peculiarly  delightful  in  such  a  sight.  Yes,  if  there 
be  among  the  works  of  God,  any  single  object  more  in¬ 
teresting  than  all  the  rest,  it  is  one  in  the  bloom  of  exist- 
ence — in  the  full  glow  of  health — when  everything  is 
gay  and  alluring  in  the  surrounding  scenes — when  the 
heart  is  warm,  and  the  spirits  buoyant,  and  hopes  sanguine, 
— seeking  thus  early  to  walk  in  all  the  commandments  of 
the  Lord,  blameless.  If  there  is  anything  over  which  the 
angels  of  God  shed  tears  of  joy,  it  is  this.  Nor  only  so. 
At  what  period  oflife,  let  me  ask,  will  you  be  so  well  able 
to  secure  the  benefits  of  the  communion  as  in  youth, 
when  your  minds  are  susceptible,  and  your  hearts  are 
tender,  and  your  affections  and  thoughts  are  fresh  and 
eager  to  attach  themselves  to  whatever  is  fair  and  amia- 
bie  ?  Believe  me,  the  time  will  never  arrive  when  this 
service  can  be  made  so  useful  to  you  as  it  can  now. 
Everything  pertaining  to  it  is  peculiarly  suited  to  interest 
and  improve  the  affections  of  the  young.  The  longer  it 
is  neglected,  the  less  is  the  benefit  to  be  derived  from 
it.  The  old  cannot  so  easily  enter  into  its  spirit,  for  their 
sensibilities  are  blunted,  and  much  of  the  early  force  of 
their  faculties  is  gone.  Delay  the  duty  till  then,  and 
you  will  have,  besides,  many  regrets  for  time  lost,  and 
for  opportunities  of  pleasure  and  improvement  neglected. 
Delay  the  duty  till  then,  and  the  piety  and  virtue  that 
shall  come  from  it,  may  also  partake  of  the  gloom  and 
melancholy  of  the  season,  in  which  they  are  produced. 


NEGLECT  OF  THE  COMMUNION. 


21 


Ml 


Delay  the  duty,  did  I  say  ?  I  beseech  you,  think  of  the 
hazard  at  which  you  make  this  arrangement.  Is  life  so 
certain,  that  you  may  dare  to  postpone,  year  after  year, 
what  ought  to  be  done  now,  when  the  images  are  before 
your  mind  of  one  after  another  of  your  acquaintance  cut 
off  in  youth  ?  Go,  stand  by  the  graves  of  those  who  be¬ 
gan  the  last  year  with  hopes  as  sanguine  as  yours  are 
now,  and  repeat  there ,  if  you  can,  the  resolution  to  defer 
a  known  dutv  till  old  age. 

«/  £3 


The  excuses  for  the  neglect  of  the  communion,  you 
have  thus  seen  to  be  groundless.  Can  you  continue  to 
urge  them  ?  I  appeal,  in  conclusion,  to  your  better 
thoughts  and  feelings. 

I  appeal  to  your  sense  of  fitness  and  propriety.  I 
would  know  if  there  be  anything  more  proper  and  fit,  in 
itself,  than  such  a  remembrance  of  Christ,  as  the  com¬ 
munion  contemplates  1  or  anything  better  suited  to  cher¬ 
ish  this  remembrance  of  him  than  eating  and  drinking 
together  according  to  his  direction  1  To  the  first  ques¬ 
tion  there  is  a  ready  answer  in  the  affirmative,  in  every 
good  mind  ;  and  as  to  the  second,  tell  me,  if  upon  a  lit¬ 
tle  reflection,  you  must  not  confess  that  some  such  ser¬ 
vice  as  the  Lord’s  supper,  is  the  very  thing  you  your¬ 
selves  would  have  thought  of,  as  most  suitable  for  the  end 
it  proposes,  had  you  been  desired  to  point  out  a  method 
of  remembering  your  greatest  benefactor  ? 

I  appeal  to  your  regard  for  consistency.  You  gather 
yourselves  together  in  honor  of  other  benefactors.  You 
love  to  keep  up  a  grateful  memorial  of  what  they  were 
and  did.  And  shall  he,  whom  you  are  invited  to  com¬ 
memorate,  as  Christians,  and  to  whom  you  are  immea- 


22 


NEGLECT  OF  THE  COMMUNION. 


262 


surably  more  indebted  than  to  any  other  created  being  ; 
shall  he,  of  all  whom  you  pronounce  great  and  good,  be 
the  only  one,  you  so  studiously  avoid  meeting  together  to 
celebrate  ?  It  seems  to  me  that  a  proper  regard  to 
consistency  should  prompt  to  something  different  from 
this. 

I  appeal  to  your  sense  of  obedience.  Can  you  feel 
that  you  have  performed  your  whole  duty,  as  a  disciple 
of  Jesus,  while  the  communion  is  neglected  ?  Is  not 
one  injunction  of  our  Lord  as  binding  as  another?  It  is 
true,  that  when  ritual  institutions  interfere  with  the 
moral  duties,  the  former  must  vield  to  the  latter.  But 
when  they  do  not,  there  is  no  difference  between  them 
in  point  of  obligation. 

I  appeal  to  your  views  of  utility.  You  are  not  called 
upon  to  obey  an  injunction,  the  reasons  and  motives  of 
which  you  cannot  discern.  The  communion  service  is  • 
a  useful  one.  Our  Saviour  thought  it  so,  else  he  would 
never  have  enjoined  it  upon  the  first  disciples.  Can  it 
be  deemed  less  useful  to  us  than  it  was  to  them  ?  On 
the  contrary,  may  it  not  be  considered  more  so  ?  The 
further  removed  Christians  are,  in  point  of  time,  from 
the  Author  and  Finisher  of  their  faith,  the  greater,  one 
would  suppose,  must  be  their  need  of  some  such  r  a^ularly 
recurring  memorial  of  him.  At  any  rale,  the  ordinance 
is  salutary  in  its  effects.  He  who  attends  upon  it,  with 
good  purpose  of  heart,  cannot  but  be  in  the  way  of 
growing  better  and  happier.  It  is  a  peculiarly  affecting 
service.  We  have  no  other  in  which  the  soul  derives 
so  important  an  influence  through  the  medium  of  the 
senses.  For  one  solemn  moment  the  world  is  shut 
out,  and  everything  invites  to  useful  meditation.  Our 


263 


NEGLECT  OF  THE  COMMUNIOV. 


23 


thoughts  recur  to  him  who  spake  and  died  as  never 
uninspired  man  spake  and  died.  The  best  feelings 
are  awakened  with  n  us.  We  form  resolutions  of 
new  obedience.  We  return  to  our  homes  stronger  for 
virtue  and  happier  than  we  were.  Why  will  any  vol¬ 
untarily  deprive  themselves  of  such  a  source  of  im¬ 
provement  and  satisfaction  ? 

I  appeal  to  your  sentiments  of  love  and  gratitude. 
Who,  that  has  but  the  common  feelings  of  human  na¬ 
ture,  is  willing  to  forget  the  requests  of  a  dying  friend  ? 
What  then  may  we  not  expect  of  the  Christian  of  more 
refined  sensibilities  ?  what,  especially,  in  regard  to  such 
a  friend  as  Jesus  Christ,  the  Redeemer  of  the  world  ? 
Whose  last  words  should  be  remembered  like  his  ? 
Whose  dying  requests  ought  to  be  so  scrupulously  obey¬ 
ed  ?  What  indifference,  what  ingratitude,  to  say  no 
more  of  it,  is  it  not  to  neglect  the  simple  observance, 
which  he,  for  our  benefit,  recommended,  almost  with 
his  very  last  breath!  Call  to  mind  the  circumstances 
of  his  closing  life,  and  observe  how  thoughtful  he  was 
of  his  followers,  even  in  the  immediate  view  of  a  most 
painful  death.  I  need  not  recount  them  to  you.  They 
are  already  present  to  your  thoughts.  Were  ever  cir¬ 
cumstances  more  affecting  ?  Yet,  in  the  midst  of  them, 
he  collected  his  disciples,  and  appointed  what  he  would 
have  us  do  in  remembrance  of  him.  Sacred  are 
the  requests  of  the  departing  soul.  This  interesting 
rite — what  is  it  but  the  injunction  of  our  dying  Saviour  ? 
And  have  we  the  heart  to  neglect  it?  Then  we  are 
willing  to  prove  ourselves  wanting  in  that  affection  and 
gratitude  for  him,  which  we  should  deem  it  wrong  not 
to  manifest  in  respect  to  far  inferior  benefactors. 


24 


neglect  of  the  communion. 


264 


But  I  forbear.  My  limits  would  not  allow  me,  even 
could  I  think  it  necessary,  to  say  all  that  might  be 
said  to  induce  you  to  j  erfor  n  this  Christian  duty.  I 
therefore  leave  the  subject  to  your  own  meditations, 
with  the  single  question — whether,  as  the  cold  hand 
of  death  presses  upon  you,  you  will  not  think  that  it 
had  been  good  for  you  to  have  early  commemorated 
the  dying  love  of  your  Saviour  in  the  method  of  his 
appointment? — whether,  as  you  then  cast  a  retrospec¬ 
tive  look  upon  the  past,  you  will  not  find  it  the  occa¬ 
sion  of  many  bitter  regrets,  that,  on  the  ground  of  such 
poor  excuses,  you  lived  so  long  disobedient  to  the 
sacred  injunction,  “  do  this  in  remembrance  of  me?  ” 


1st  Series. 


No. 


A 

DIALOGUE 

BETWEEN  A  CHRISTIAN 

AND  A  DEIST. 

< 


BT  THE  AUTHOR  OF 

A  DIALOGUE  ON  PROVIDENCE,  FAITH  AND  PRATER. 


PRINTED  FOR  THE 

&mcrtcan  aanitartan  ^ssocfatton. 


BOSTON, 

LEONARD  C.  BOWLES,  50  WASHINGTON  STREET. 

1829. 


Price  4  Cents . 


•  . 


•  ~ 


BOSTOPf, 

Press  of  Isaac  R.  Butts. 

■  —  . . . 


A  DIALOGUE 


BETWEEN  A  CHRISTIAN 
AND  A  DEIST. 


Mr  and  Mrs  Henderson  had  ascertained  that  their  eld 
est  son  had  imbibed  deistical  opinions  ;  and  they  were 
much  distressed  by  this  conviction.  They  had  endeavor¬ 
ed  to  search  out  the  causes  which  had  led  to  this  deplored 
result:  and  agreed,  that  however  it  had  been  incurred, 
there  was  but  one  line  of  conduct  to  pursue  with  him. 
They  considered  it  their  imperative  duty,  in  their  own 
example  to  manifest  to  him  the  beauty  of  holiness  and 
the  hope  and  joy  of  believing  ;  and  only  in  the  spirit  of 
Christian  love,  candor,  meekness,  and  forbearance,  to  use 
any  efforts  to  draw  the  soul  of  their  son  from  the  polluted 
waters  in  which  they  feared  it  was  sinking.  Knowing 
the  weakness  of  human  resolution,  and  the  liability  of  all, 
to  have  judgment  clouded  by  feeling,  they  trusted  not  in 
their  own  strength,  but  sought  divine  light  to  guide 
them. 

Affairs  continued  in  this  situation,  when  on  a  fine  day 
in  June  Mrs  Henderson  asked  her  son  George  if  he  could 
be  spared  from  the  store  to  take  a  ride  with  her  to  Nahant. 
She  was  in  a  feeble  state  of  health,  and  George  manifest¬ 
ed  his  usual  alacrity  in  obtaining  permission  to  devote 


4 


A  DIALOGUE  BETWEEN 


268 


the  day  to  his  mother.  The  weather  was  fine,  and  the 
season  luxuriant.  Mrs  Henderson  was  a  true  lover  of 
nature  ;  to  speak  more  properly,  she  delighted  in  the  con¬ 
templation  of  God’s  works.  To  her  the  ride  promised 
pleasure  in  this  way,  if  in  no  other.  George  also  found 
great  pleasure  in  viewing  beautiful  scenery,  and  there 
was  to  him  a  bewitching  excitement,  in  the  strongly 
marked  features  of  this  little  wild  and  naked  peninsula. 

George  had  never  in  his  mother’s  presence  expressed 
decidedly  deistical  opinions.  With  his  father  he  had 
twice  held  a  long  argument,  and  the  result  may  be 
gathered  from  a  former  part  of  this  narrative.  He  had 
no  doubt  of  his  mother’s  having  been  informed  of  all  he 
had  said ;  and  he  had  some  reluctance  to  discussing 
these  subjects  with  her.  Yet  he  thought  it  would  be 
mean  to  disguise  his  sentiments,  and  would  discover  a 
want  of  independence  to  shrink  from  expressing  them 
freely.  Mrs  Henderson  had  previously  considered  and 
marked  out  in  her  own  mind  the  course  she  thought  best 
to  pursue  with  her  son.  If  opportunity  should  favor 
her  wish  to  produce  the  desirable  change,  and  she  could 
place  his  error  in  its  true  colors  before  his  mind,  so  as  to 
give  him  a  clear  perception  of  the  part  he  was  taking, 
she  resolved  to  embrace  it  ;  but  if  she  saw  no  such 
opening,  she  would  content  herself  with  trying  to  in¬ 
crease  his  confidence  and  affection  in  her  and  in  his 
father. 

George  loved  and  respected  both  his  parents;  and 
though  he  had  dared  to  provoke  his  father’s  anger,  by 
obstinately  maintaining  his  opinions,  he  had  suffered 
secret  sorrow  for  his  offence,  and  was  glad  to  find  a 
mediator  in  his  mother,  and  to  assure  her  of  his  filial 


269 


A  CHRISTIAN  AND  A  DEIST. 


5 


affection  and  high  sense  of  obligation  to  his  father.  Dis¬ 
covering  his  feelings  here  to  be  such  as  she  wished,  after 
such  remarks  as  she  thought  would  strengthen  them,  she 
left  conscience  to  do  its  own  work,  and  said  not  a  word 
on  the  cause  of  his  father’s  displeasure.  George  thus 
became  reassured,  and  cheerful  spirits  and  innocent 
gayety  rendered  the  first  hour  after  leaving  the  city  a 
short  and  pleasant  one  to  both  parties. 

But  when  the  mind  is  deeply  impressed,  whatever  may 
be  the  tone  of  its  feelings,  and  however  it  may  resolve  to 
suppress  them,  it  will  so  color  and  give  character  to  con¬ 
versation,  as  soon  to  display  its  state,  and  reveal  the 
causes  which  produced  it.  Thus  it  was  with  George 
and  his  mother. 

“  There  is  something  very  grand  and  even  sublime  in 
this  perpendicular  pile  of  rocks,  overhung  as  it  is,  with 
vegetation  ;  it  is  beautiful  also,”  said  Mrs  Henderson,  as 
they  were  riding  by  the  romantic  scenery  near  the  pretty 
village  of  Lynn. 

“  Yes,”  replied  George,  “  I  always  admire  these  rude 
and  majestic  rocks  ;  and  the  view  of  the  valley  too  is 
beautiful,  and  forms  a  fine  relief.” 

“  The  world  is  full  of  beauty  and  grace,”  said  his 
mother;  “  a"nd  I  pity  the  heart  that  is  insensible  to  it.” 

“  So  do  I,”  replied  George.  “  It  is  a  glorious,  magnifi¬ 
cent  kaleidoscope.”  George  had  unwittingly  committed 
himself,  in  making  this  comparison  ; — and  his  mother 
instantly  caught  at  the  idea  implied  by  it. 

“  What  do  you  intend  to  express  by  that  observation  V9 
she  asked. 

George  laughed,  and  looked  a  little  confused,  but  said 
nothing. 

VOL.  II. 


t* 


6 


A  DIALOGUE  BETWEEN 


270 


“  I  hope  you  do  not  mean  to  intimate  that  your 
aberrations  have  extended  to  the  degree  your  words 
imply  said  his  mother.  “  If  you  have  wandered  into 
the  abyss  of  atheism,  your  case  is  more  hopeless  than  I 
have  dreamed  of.  I  pray  God,  you  may  not  be  so  far 
gone  in  error. 33 

George  made  no  reply. 

“  You  have  never  before,3’  continued  his  mother, 
u  indicated,  by  the  slightest  expression,  a  disbelief  in  a 
first  great  Cause ;  you  have  always,  till  now,  manifested 
an  entire  faith  in  the  existence  of  God.” 

“  I  did  not  intend  to  do  otherwise  now,  mother 
replied  George.  “  But  that  beautiful  little  invention  so 
admirably  illustrates  the  power  of  chance,  that  I  was 
wickedly  tempted  to  make  the  observation.33 

“  You  have  probably  heard  it  advanced,  by  those  who 
fancy  themselves  atheists,  in  proof  of  their  doctrine,33  said 
his  mother. 

“  I  certainly  have,33  replied  George;  “  and  I  think  it 
a  specious  argument,  to  say  the  least  of  it.33 

“  It  is  specious  indeed,’3  said  his  mother  ;  “  but  it 
requires  little  investigation  to  show  its  want  of  soundness.  ”* 

“  Well,  I  declare  it  appears  to  me  not  so  destitute  of 
truth;33  replied  George.  “  Those  who  argue  against  the 
power  of  chance,  appeal  to  our  understandings,  and  ask 
triumphantly,  whether  it  is  possible  that  a  fortuitous  dis* 
position  of  atoms  in  the  universe  could  ever  result  in  such 
order  and  beauty  as  we  see  displayed  in  the  natural 
world  ;  and  it  does  seem  impossible  that  chance  should 
ever  dispose  them  in  such  forms  :  yet  if  they  were  floating 
for  ages  and  ages  in  infinite  space,  they  must  constantly 
be  taking  some  new  arrangement,  and  the  possibility  of 


271 


A  CHRISTIAN  AND  A  DEIST. 


7 


their  being  sometimes  disposed  in  perfect  order,  vve  must 
admit ;  and  if  we  look  into  a  kaleidoscope,  we  shall  be 
astonished  to  see  how  often'. — Into  this  simple  tube,  a 
few  little,  irregular,  shapeless  things  are  thrown  in  confu¬ 
sion,  and  a  person  who  had  never  witnessed  its  wonders, 
would  feel  sure  that  no  order  or  beauty  could  ever  result 
from  shaking  them  together  ;  yet  you  know,  when  lifted 
to  the  eye  and  merely  turned  round,  so  as  to  change  the 
situation  of  these  atoms,  as  we  will  call  them,  and  give 
chance  her  power  over  them,  we  have  presented  to  us, 
the  greatest  variety  of  beautiful  forms,  disposed  in  the 
most  perfect  order.  Now  this  seems  to  me  to  be  a  very 
good  refutation  of  that  objection  to  the  doctrine. 55 

a  Even  if  it  were  really  as  you  represent,75  replied  his 
mother,  “  I  might  not  be  obliged  to  grant  w’hat  you 
assume:  for  wrhat  appears  to  be  chance,  may  be,  and  I 
have  no  doubt  is,  according  to  order  established  by  infinite 
mind  ;  though  human  faculties  are  too  circumscribed  to 
compass  its  extent.55 

“  Well,  but,55 — interrupted  George — 

“  Wait  a  moment,55  continued  his  mother,  anticipating 
his  reply. — “  I  should  like  to  ask  you,  if  there  is  nothing 
in  the  kaleidoscope  beside  the  few  shapeless  atoms  you 
speak  of.  Has  not  an  intelligent  mind,  deeply  versed 
in  philosophical  principles,  been  at  work  to  arrange  two 
mirrors  in  the  tube,  and  dispose  them  so  as  to  reflect 
repeatedly  each  little,  irregular  thing,  and  thus  give  to 
the  whole  the  appearance,  though  not  the  reality,  of  order 
and  beauty  1  All  that  is  admirable  in  that  ingenious 
little  instrument  is  the  effect  of  intelligence  operating  by 
means  adapted  to  produce  the  result  which  delights 
us  :  and  deprived  of  the  power  which  an  intelligent  mind 


8 


A  DIALOGUE  BETWEEN 


272 


has  given  it,  the  little,  irregular,  shapeless  things  would 
appear  to  be  irregular  and  shapeless  for  ever.” 

“  Well,5’  said  George,  laughing, — “  though  I  should 
be  compelled  to  allow  that  you  have  destroyed  this  argu¬ 
ment,  because  I  am  not  able  at  this  moment  to  refute 
you ; — yet  that  would  not  be  to  concede  the  doctrine. 
Killing  one  man,  does  not  annihilate  an  army.” 

“  I  know  that  very  well  ;”  replied  his  mother  ;  “  but 
killing  every  man  in  the  army,  one  after  another,  does  a3 
effectually  annihilate  it,  as  if  it  had  one  great  head  which 
was  severed  by  a  stroke  of  the  sabre.” 

It  was  the  wish  of  the  tyrant  Caligula,  that  the 
Romans  had  but  one  neck,  that  he  might  destroy  them 
by  one  blow,”  said  George.  “  But  I  believe  it  was  not 
a  vainer  wish  than  Christians  entertain  for  the  destruction 
of  the  host  of  arguments  raised  against  them.  The  con- 
quest  of  that  army  has  never  been  achieved.” 

“  Indeed,  it  has,  my  dear;”  replied  his  mother.  <l  But 
unfortunately  these  arguments,  which  compose  your  ar¬ 
my,  though  often  vanquished,  are  still  led  out  in  battle 
array,  and  must  be  fought  and  conquered  again  and  again, 
by  the  champions  of  truth.” 

“  I  had  no  intention  of  provoking  a  contest,  mother;” 
said  George,  laughing;  “  I  rejoice  as  much  as  you  can 
desire,  at  every  victory  obtained  over  an  atheistical  argu¬ 
ment.  I  have  a  full  belief  in  the  existence  of  the  Deity, 
and  in  his  gracious  attributes.” 

“  I  have  always  thought  so;”  replied  his  mother,  in  a 
more  cheerful  tone  of  voice  ;  l<  and  I  am  rejoiced  to  hear 
you  confirm  my  impression.  A  hearty  conviction  of  this 
fundamental  truth  is  a  spark  of  living  fire,  which  will 
increase  till  every  doubt  of  divine  revelation  will  be  con^ 


273 


A  CHRISTIAN  AND  A  DEIST. 


9 


Burned  by  it.  It  cannot  remain  in  a  good  and  sensible  mind 
without  producing  its  natural  consequences.  It  will  lead 
you  sooner  or  later  to  receive  the  glad  tidings  of  salvation 
through  Jesus  Christ.” 

“  On  that  subject,”  replied  George,  “  I  could  meet 
you  with  stronger  weapons.  I  do  not,  however,  wish  to 
engage  in  the  controversy  ;  though  I  have  no  doubt  I 
could  satisfactorily  reply  to  all  you  could  advance.” 

Pride  of  opinion  and  filial  affection  were  now  contending 
in  George’s  bosom.  lie  loved  his  mother  tenderly,  and 
dreaded  to  give  her  pain  ;  yet  he  was  strongly  attached 
to  the  ingenious  theory,  as  he  thought  it,  which  he  had 
adopted,  and  he  could  not  help  longing  to  defend  it. 

Mrs  Henderson  answered  very  meekly.  “  Far  be  it 
from  me,  my  dear  son,  to  enter  the  lists  with  you  ,  I  have 
not  the  power  to  convince  you  by  the  arguments  I 
might  use,  that  you  have  embraced  erroneous  notions  ; 
nor  have  I  the  smallest  desire  to  attempt  it.” 

“  I  do  not  know  who  could,  if  you  could  not,”  said 
George,  a  little  disappointed. 

“  If  the  able  theologians  who  have  given  their  whole 
lives  to  these  studies,  and  have  written  with  all  the  power 
of  first-rate  understandings,  enlightened  by  all  that  can 
be  learned  on  the  subject,  if  such  writers  fail  to  convince 
you,  what  arrogance,  what  folly,  it  would  be  in  me  to 
imagine  that  I  could  offer  anything  to  induce  you  to 
change  your  views  !” 

“  But  all  these  writers  you  speak  of,”  said  George, 
u  were  prejudiced  persons.  They  were  priests,  and  con¬ 
tended,  as  they  ought,  to  defend  the  cause  they  had 
embraced.  They  would  have  been  fools  and  cowards  to 
do  otherwise.  Yet  their  having  fought  manfully  for  their 


10 


A  DIALOGUE  BETWEEN 


274 


own  side  is  no  evidence  that  they  were  on  the  side  of 
truth.  If  this  were  allowed  it  would  prove  too  much  • 
for  in  that  case,  both  sides  must  be  acknowledged  to  be 
true ;  which  is  impossible.  You  will  not  deny  that 
infidels  have  been  as  zealous  as  bigots.” 

“  But  I  should  like  to  know,”  said  Mrs  Henderson, 
“  what  vou  think  induced  those  men  to  embrace  that 

90 

cause  in  the  first  place.  They  were  not  priests  before 
they  were  Christians.” 

“  They  were  either  weak  men,  blinded  by  prejudice 
and  ignorance,”  replied  George,  “  or  they  were  hypo¬ 
crites,  and  maintained  tenets  which  they  did  not  believe, 
in  order  to  secure  power  or  independence.  Ever  since 
the  world  was  created  men  have  striven  for  power  and 
influence  ;  and  there  is  no  engine  they  have  found  so 
effectual  for  obtaining  and  holding  it,  as  that  of  enslaving 
the  minds  of  the  multitude  by  religious  dogmas.” 

“  It  is  a  melancholy  reflection,”  said  Mrs  Henderson, 
in  a  pensive  tone,  “  that  the  corruptions  of  the  pure 
principles  of  Christianity  have  been  such,  as  to  oblige  the 
honest  mind  to  admit  the  truth  of  your  last  remark.  But 
if  you  could  look  farther  into  the  subject,  you  would 
perceive  that,  beyond  all  those  dark  clouds,  there  is  a 
bright  and  clear  sky,  where  a  risen  Saviour  still  appears, 
offering  his  gospel  to  his  faithful  followers.  But  you 
cannot  see  this,”  she  added  with  a  sigh. 

“  No,”  replied  George,  “  I  must  confess  I  cannot ; 
but  the  other  I  can  see  as  clear  as  noon  day ;  and  there¬ 
fore,  I  do  not  think  anything  a  priest  can  urge  has  any 
weight,  or  ought  to  have  any.  If  a  sensible,  intelligent 
deist  should  discover  arguments  strong  enough  to  convince 
him,  and  he  should  meet  his  former  associates  in  contro¬ 
versy,  he  might  have  some  claim  to  be  heard.” 


275 


A  CHRISTIAN  AND  A  DEIST. 


11 


t(  But,  my  dear  child,”  said  his  mother,  “  would  not 
your  sensible  deist,  the  moment  he  had  become  impartial 
enough  to  weigh  the  arguments  on  both  sides  candidly, 
and  admit  the  force  of  those  he  had  before  opposed, 
would  he  not  at  that  moment  be  a  Christian,  and  be 
classed  with  your  priests  and  hypocrites.” 

“  No,”  replied  George  ;  “  if  he  had  previously  been  in 
favor  of  deism,  and  opposed  to  Christianity,  and  had  sin¬ 
cerely  labored  to  support  and  vindicate  his  opinions,  and 
no  worldly  advantage  followed  the  change,  I  should 
then  think  his  candor  and  honesty  manifest,  and  I  should 
be  willing  to  hear  what  he  had  to  say,  and  to  believe,  if 
his  arguments  were  sound.” 

“  I  do  not  see,  then,”  replied  his  mother,  “  but  you 
are  bound  to  examine  the  scriptures,  and  weigh  their 
testimony  ;  for  certainly  you  cannot  deny  that  Paul,  and 
Peter,  and  the  other  disciples  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the 
early  converts,  both  Jewish  and  Gentile,  were  previ¬ 
ously,  so  far  as  respected  his  mission,  deists,  and  were 
zealous  to  defend  their  faith  ;  nay,  they  were  highly 
offended  with  the  doctrines  they  afterwaids  embraced; 
and  no  worldly  advantage,  but  the  contrary,  followed 
their  change  of  opinion.  Therefore  they  established 
their  candor  and  sincerity  by  your  own  test.” 

“  Your  argument  would  be  irresistible,”  said  George, 
“  if  these  histories  were  true;  but  unfortunately  there  is 
no  reality  in  them.  All,  which,  it  is  pretended,  was 
written  by  these  good  men,  is  a  sheer  fabrication.  It  is 
all  an  imposture.” 

•  “  How  many  great  and  good  men  have  believed  it !” 
said  Mrs  Henderson. 

“  They  were  all  blinded,  mother,”  said  George,  with 


12 


A  DIALOGUE  BETWEEN 


276 


increasing  confidence  ;  “  all  under  the  yoke  of  ecclesias¬ 
tical  domination  ;  the  instruments  of  priestcraft  enveloped 
their  minds  in  the  midnight  darkness  of  bigotry  and 
superstition.” 

“  Poor  men  !”  exclaimed  Mrs  Henderson,  “  how  I 
pity  them.  If  Dr  *  *  *,  and  Mr  *  *  *,  and  Professor 
*  *  *,  and  a  host  of  our  own  worthies,  and  a  still  larger 
host  in  Great  Britain  and  on  the  continent  of  Europe; 
for  I  particularize  a  few,  because  you  know  them  per¬ 
sonally,  and  can  have  no  doubt  of  their  talents,  integrity, 
or  learning;  if  this  host,  I  say,  of  the  present  and  past 
ftges,  could  only  have  had” — She  suddenly  stopped. 

“  If  they  could  only  have  had,  what?” — asked  George. 

“  I  had  better  suppress  what  I  was  going  to  say 
replied  his  mother,  in  a  lower  and  softened  tone.  “  It 
would  only  excite  your  temper,  and  I  should  be  very 
sorry  to  do  tint.” 

“  Never  fear,”  replied  George,  laughing. 

“  Be  it  upon  you  then  said  his  mother,  laughing  in 
her  turn.  “  [  was  going  to  say  if  all  these  men  could 
only  have  had  the  wisdom,  the  clear  perception,  the 
freedom  from  prejudice — extensive  views,  sound  sense 
and  erudition  of  George  W.  Henderson,  how  much  the 
world  would  have  gained  ;  and  how  much  expense  of 
time,  health,  and  money,  might  have  been  saved  in  their 
labors!” 

George  bit  his  lip — whipped  the  horse,  and  looked 
straight  forward.  They  drove  on  a  few  minutes  in 
silence.  At  length  Mrs  Henderson  said— “  Forgive  me, 
my  dear  boy,  I  am  so  heart-sick,  and  soul-sick  of  this 
deistical  flummery,  this  jargon  of  presumption  and  folly, 
that  I  am  hardly  able  to  repress  my  contempt — not  for 
the  persons  who  are  the  dupes  of  this  sophistry  ;  for  them, 


277 


A  CHRISTIAN  AND  A  DEIST. 


13 

I  feel  only  regret  and  sorrow — bat  for  the  flimsy  support 
they  attempt,  I  can  feel  no  other  sentiment  than  disgust; 
it  has  been  repeated  and  repeated  till  it  is  stale  and  offen¬ 
sive  beyond  bearing.” 

“  Sarcasm  is  not  argument,”  said  George,  tartly ; 
while  his  lip  curled,  and  his  eye  flashed  Are. 

“  If  sarcasm,  by  throwing  a  broad  light  on  the  subject, 
makes  the  truth  evident,  it  operates  like  a  powerful 
argument,”  said  Mrs  Henderson.  "  By  contrasting  your 
inexperience,  your  ignorance  of  the  whole  ground  in  dis¬ 
pute,  inferior  powers  of  judging,  and  all  that  distinguishes 
youths  like  yourself  from  such  men  as  the  learned,  the 
wise,  and  the  good,  who  have  lived  since  the  Christian 
era,  so  full  a  light  is  thrown  on  the  circumstance  of 
your  standing  up  alone,  to  pronounce  them  in  error,  and 
yourself  the  only  correct  man,  that  you  must  see  the 
truth  of  my  assertion,  when  I  call  it  presumption  and 
folly.” 

“  You  ought  not  to  say  that  I  stand  alone,”  said  George. 
i(  There  have  been  many  as  learned  and  gifted  men  as 
Christianity  can  boast,  who  have  denied  the  facts  on 
which  the  faith  of  Christians  rests ;  and  who  have 
ably  defended  the  ground  of  opposition.” 

“  There  have  been,  I  allow,”  replied  his  mother,  “  on 
that  side  of  the  question,  some  writers  who  rank  high  as 
to  intellect  and  attainments,  and,  at  the  time  they  wrote, 
they  dazzled  the  world  with  their  talents.  But  few,  if 
any,  of  them  even  pretended  to  an  acquaintance  with  bib¬ 
lical  criticism  ;  and  there  is  a  ready  solution  of  their  scep¬ 
ticism,  in  the  moral  perversion  of  some,  in  the  strength 
of  early  prejudices  in  others,  and  in  the  misfortune  of 
never  meeting  with  rational  and  candid  opponents. 

VOL.  ir.  2 


14 


A  DIALOGUE  BETWEEN 


278 


Revelation  was  presented  to  their  minds  enveloped  in 
falsehoods,  and  they  threw  it  away  in  disgust,  without 
an  impartial  examination.” 

* 

“  I  should  doubt  that/’  said  George  ;  “  it  could  only 
be  a  fool  or  a  villain,  who  could  treat  the  subject  in  that 
way.” 

“  I  am  rejoiced  to  hear  you  express  such  an  opinion, 

my  son  said  Mrs  Henderson,  “and  I  earnestly  hope 

* 

you  will  prove  its  sincerity  by  such  a  deep  and  persever¬ 
ing  investigation,  as  shall  entirely  emancipate  your  head 
and  heart  from  error.  But  I  assure  you  that  neither 
Hume  nor  Voltaire,  the  two  great  champions  of  deism  in 
their  respective  countries,  by  their  own  confession,  ever 
read  the  scriptures,  much  less  studied  them,  as  they 
should  such  ancient  documents,  with  careful  comparison 
and  minds  freed  from  a  desire  to  condemn  them.  Un¬ 
fortunately  for  the  young  of  all  ages,  the  greatest  minds 
are  not  always  accompanied  with  the  purest  hearts. 
That  deistical  writers  were  men  of  genius,  is  no  evidence 
therefore,  that  they  were  pious  or  virtuous.” 

“  Neither  are  they  proved  to  be  wanting  in  piety  and 
virtue,  because  they  wrote  in  defence  of  deism,”  said 
George. 

“  I  think  I  may  convince  you  that  such  writers,  if 
men  of  talents,  were  thus  wanting  said  Mrs  Hender¬ 
son.  “But  I  will  leave  it  for  another  opportunity;  at 
present  your  mind  is  not  in  a  state  to  perceive  the  truth 
of  many  things  which  it  will,  I  hope,  ere  long  be  willing 
to  receive.” 

Mrs  Henderson  would  now  gladly  have  dropped  the 
subject,  for  she  feared  her  son  would  be  weary  of  it ;  and 
she  thought  it  wiser,  that  truth  should  come  slowly  and 


279 


A  CHRISTIAN  AND  A  DEIST. 


15 


surely,  than  that  by  pressing  it  too  long  or  abruptly,  she 
should  incur  the  risk  of  increasing  his  disgust  for  the 
investigations  she  wished  him  to  make.  But  George,  as 
is  usual  in  such  cases,  was  ardent  in  pursuit.  Not  that 
it  was  truth  exactly,  which  he  sought ;  though  he,  like 
most  others  in  a  similar  predicament,  persuaded  himself, 
it  was  that  alone  he  desired.  He  loved  to  argue  ;  and 
he  loved  to  gain  victories.  “  At  any  rate,”  said  he, 
“you  will  allow  that  I  do  not  stand  alone.” 

“  Why  comparatively,  George,”  replied  his  mother; 

for  the  whole  number  you  could  bring  on  your  side 
would  seem  inconsiderable,  when  opposed  to  the  host  of 
believers.” 

“  The  argument  ought  not  to  rest  on  the  talents,  or 
ingenuity,  or  numbers  of  men  who  advocate  it,”  said 
George,  “but  on  its  own  internal  strength.  Truth  is 
immutable,  and  must  defend  itself.” 

“  Truth,  they  say,  lies  in  a  well,”  said  Mrs  Hender¬ 
son,  playfully,  “  and  if  so,  we  must  have  men  experienced 
in  diving  to  bring  it  up.” 

“  Agreed,”  replied  George ;  “  but  when  it  is  brought 
up,  it  should  be  able  to  manifest  itself,  and  not  require 
advocates  or  interpreters.” 

“  Let  it  only  be  displayed  in  its  native  dignity  and 
beauty,  and  it  will  need  no  extrinsic  aid,”  replied  his 
mother  ;  “  it  will  be  embraced  by  every  pure  heart,  every 
unsophisticated  mind.  But,  unfortunately,  too  many 
have  clothed  truth  in  garments  of  their  own  making  ;  and 
while  each  has  invested  her  with  a  different  attire,  and 
contended  about  her,  as  if  the  drapery  was  a  constituent 
part  of  herself,  the  simple  beauty  and  majesty  of  her 
form  can  no  longer  be  discerned.  So  that  many  people, 


16 


A  DIALOGUE  BETWEEN 


280 


who  are  ignorant  of  all  this  ill  treatment,  believe  that  it  is 
only  a  pile  of  old  fashioned  and  cast  off  apparel  they  are 
viewing,  and  will  not  believe  that  truth,  bright  and  beau* 
tiful,  is  to  be  found  underneath.  All  these  investment* 
must  be  stripped  off — and  every  false  covering  laid  aside 
by  those  who  wish  to  contemplate  divine  truth  in  her 
native  splendor.” 

“  I  am  sure  that  is  what  I  wish  to  do,”  said  George  ; 
“  and  it  is  for  that  very  reason  I  have  been  studying  so 
many  books  ;  and  investigating  the  subject  of  religion, 
with  so  much  earnestness.  There  are  not  many  of  my 
age  who  have  thought  and  read  as  much  as  I  have  to 
obtain  the  truth  ;  and  I  should  think  that  would  con¬ 
vince  you,  that  I  am  neither  presumptuous  nor  foolish. 
I  never  had  such  epithets  applied  to  me  before,  and  I 
assure  you,  I  did  not  find  it  easy  to  bear  the  imputation.” 

M  rs  Henderson  answered  with  solemn  emphasis, 
though  in  a  tone  of  gentle  affection.  “  Until  you  have 
looked  deeply  enough  into  your  own  heart  to  perceive 
that  you,  like  all  others,  are  disposed  to  be  presumptuous, 
till  you  can  be  sensible  that  the  weakness  of  your  mind 
amounts  even  to  folly,  until  you  feel  yourself  to  be  as 
nothing,  compared  to  the  Deity  whom  you  acknowledge 
and  worship,  you  can  be  in  no  fit  state  of  mind  to  seek 
truth  sincerely,  or  embrace  it  when  presented  to  you.” 

“  I  have  never  imagined  anything  depended  on  the 
state  of  my  own  mind,  in  relation  to  this  subject said 
George.  “  I  cannot  conceive  why  I  am  not  at  all  times  in 
a  proper  state  of  mind  to  seek  truth,  and  embrace  it  when 
presented  to  me  ;  that  is,  when  I  am  not  too  gay  and 
happy  to  fix  my  attention  upon  such  subjects.” 

“This  is  a  subject,”  my  dear  son,”  said  Mrs  Hender- 


281 


A  CHRISTIAN  AND  A  DEIST, 


17 


son,  “  on  which  I  wish  to  talk  with  you.  On  the  state  of 
your  own  mind  you  have  not  thought  much,  and  as  yet 
know  very  little  about  it.  Let  us  leave  the  whole  field  of 
polemic  divinity  to  those  who  are  properly  qualified  to 
explore  it  ;  neither  you  nor  I  are  prepared  for  such  a 
labor.  Your  knowledge  is  quite  circumscribed;  and  the 
little  you  have  is  altogether  on  one  side  of  the  subject” — 

“  You  are  mistaken  there,  mother,”  interrupted 
George,  “  I  think  I  know  a  little  of  both  sides.” 

“My  knowledge  also,”  continued  Mrs  Henderson, 
without  noticing  George’s  contradiction,  “  is  necessarily 
extremely  limited  ;  and  is  nearly  as  much  confined  to 
the  affirmative  side  as  yours  to  the  negative.  We  might 
therefore  dispute  for  years,  without  either  convincing  or 
enlightening  the  other.  But  every  body  can  look  into  his 
own  heart.  Every  body  can  reflect  upon  his  own  thoughts  ; 
and  study  his  own  feelings,  and  in  this  way  we  can  all 
come  at  some  truths  which  it  is  important  we  should  all 
possess.” 

“  I  confess  I  know  very  little  upon  this  subject,”  re¬ 
plied  George,  “  nor  do  I  understand  how  it  can  have  any 
bearing  on  the  points  in  question.” 

“  It  has  so  much  bearing  upon  them,  my  dear,”  said 
his  mother,  “  that  if  the  heart  is  not  in  a  right  state  to 
receive  truth,  especially  religious  truth,  the  strongest  ar¬ 
guments  in  its  favor  will  be  as  much  thrown  away,  as  wa¬ 
ter  spilled  upon  the  ground,  which  cannot  be  gathered 
up.  It  was  this  fact  to  which  Jesus  Christ  alluded,  when 
he  said,  ‘  if  ye  believe  not  Moses  and  the  Prophets, 
neither  would  ye  believe  though  one  rose  from  the  dead,’ 
meaning,  if  the  heart  is  not  in  a  right  state  to  receive  the 
truths  already  offered,  neither  would  it  be  able  to  receive 
greater  evidences  of  truth.” 


VOL.  II. 


2* 


18 


A  DIALOGUE  BETWEEN 


282 


“  I  don’t  know  how  I  am  to  find  out  whether  my  heart 
is  in  a  right  state  or  not,”  said  George  :  and  he  added 
laughing, — “  I  hardly  know  whether  I  have  got  any 
heart.” 

“  Perhaps  it  will  assist  you  in  making  discoveries,  if 
I  ask  you  a  few  questions  respecting  your  thoughts  and 
feelings,”  said  his  mother. 

“  Very  well,”  replied  George,  who  was  at  bottom  an 
ingenuous  youth,  “  I  am  sure  I  am  willing  you  should 
ask  as  many  questions  as  you  please  ;  and  I  will  answer 
as  well  as  I  know  how.” 

■  c  Tell  me  then,”  said  Mrs  Plenderson,  “  what  are 
your  feelings  respecting  this  question  of  a  revelation 
from  God  by  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.” 

“  My  feelings  !”  repeated  George,  “  I  have  no  feelings 
about  it,  that  I  know  of.” 

“  You  said  you  wished  to  know  the  truth,  and  have  been 
reading  a  great  deal  to  find  it,”  said  Mrs  Henderson. 

“  Well  I  am  sure  I  do  wish  to  know  the  truth,”  re¬ 
plied  her  son  ;  “and  you  know  I  have  read  till  I  was 
tired  of  reading  on  the  subject.” 

“  Do  not  our  wishes  indicate  our  feelings?”  asked  his 
mother. 

“  Oh  I  understand  you — yes,  certainly,”  answered 
George;  “and  I  say  then,  my  feelings  are,  if  the  Chris¬ 
tian  system  is  true,  I  should  be  glad  to  know  it.” 

“  And  do  you  really  believe  that  to  be  the  case, 
George  ?”  asked  his  mother. 

“  Certainly,”  he  answered. 

“  And  in  that  case,  you  feel  ready  to  embrace  it,  and 
acknowledge  3 ourself  a  disciple  of  Christ?”  said  Mrs 
Henderso.i. 


283 


A  CHRISTIAN  AND  A  DEIST. 


19 


“  Of  course,  if  I  find  it  true/5  replied  George,  in  a 

.>  . 

/iesitating  tone. 

“  Suppose  for  the  sake  of  argument,”  said  his  mother, 
<l  that  in  conversation  with  some  learned  and  good  man, 
he  should  be  able  to  offer  you  a  train  of  facts,  substan¬ 
tiated  by  evidence  that  you  could  not  question,  and  a 
course  of  reasoning  that  would  place  the  truth  of  the 
Christian  revelation,  and  the  histories  of  it  by  the  Apos¬ 
tles,  beyond  further  dispute,  and  render  it  so  clear  and 
convincing  to  you,  that  you  could  no  longer  withhold 
your  assent,  or  find  an  objection  to  make  ;  would  you  in 
that  case  feel  rich  in  the  conviction  that  you  had  received 
a  guide  for  your  future  faith  and  conduct,  and  that  the 
means  to  attain  heavenly  happiness  were  provided  in  the 
precepts  and  doctrines  of  Jesus  Christ  ?  Or  would  you 
feel  a  lurking  disappointment,  that  you  had  been  van¬ 
quished  in  argument,  and  mentally  go  over  the  ground 
again,  anxious  to  find  some  new  argument  which  you 
had  neglected  to  urge,  or  some  flaw  in  his  statement, 
that  would  give  you  again  the  advantage.” 

George  appeared  to  be  reflecting  for  some  time,  and 
made  no  reply. 

“  Do  you  think  you  can  judge  fairly,  what  would  be 
your  feelings  in  such  circumstances  ?”  asked  his  mother. 

“  I  do  not  know  that  I  can,”  he  replied.  “  It  is  a  new 
thought  to  me;  I  never  conceived  of  such  a  possibility, 
and  therefore  never  considered  what  effect  it  would  have 
on  my  mind.” 

“But  you  can,  by  a  little  reflection,  imagine  yourself 
in  such  a  situation said  his  mother,  “  and  cannot  you 
imagine  how  you  should  feel,  and  wThat  you  should  say. 

“  Of  course,”  said  George,  “if  I  entered  into  a  con¬ 
troversy  with  any  one,  [  should  try  with  all  the  strength 


20 


A  DIALOGUE  BETWEEN 


284 


of  my  reasoning  powers,  to  maintain  my  ground.  I 
should  be  wrong,  if  I  did  not.” 

“  But  after  you  had  put  forth  all  your  strength,  and 
brought  forward  all  your  objections  to  the  facts  he 
alleged,  and  had  advanced  all  your  arguments  to  support 
your  own  side,  if  you  were  still  met  with  stronger  and 
better  sustained  evidences  in  favor  of  that  system, — what 
then  V 9  said  Mrs  Henderson. 

“Why  then  I  should  acknowledge  myself  conquered, 
I  suppose,”  said  George. 

Cl  Reluctantly  ? — or  cordially  ?”  asked  his  mother. 

“  Why  it  is  not  very  pleasant  to  be  put  down,  and 
proved  to  be  in  the  wrong,  let  us  advocate  what  we  will,” 
said  George. 

“  That  depends  upon  the  state  of  our  feelings  in 
relation  to  the  subject,”  said  his  mother.  “If  you  had 
picked  up  a  stone  in  your  rambles,  and  was  about  throw¬ 
ing  it  away  again,  and  some  one  told  you  it  was  a  gem 
of  great  value, — a  diamond  of  the  first  water,  and  would 
make  your  fortune  ;  you  might  not  readily  believe  it ; 
you  might  be  afraid  of  being  imposed  upon  ;  you  might 
think  it  very  improbable  ;  or  it  might  appear  impossible; 
you  would  state  all  your  doubts,  and  raise  every  objec¬ 
tion,  and  bring  forward  every  argument  which  appeared 
to  you  to  disprove  it ; — but  you  would  not  find  it  very  un¬ 
pleasant  to  be  put  down,  and  proved  to  be  in  the  wrong.” 

“  Certainly  I  should  not;”  replied  George,  laughing. 

“  But  you  would  not  have  the  same  feelings,  in  case  it 
should  be  proved  to  you  that  the  Christian  system  is 
true?”  said  Mrs  Henderson. 

“I  cannot  say  I  should,”  replied  her  son. 

“  Can  you  then  deny  that  your  feelings,  your  heart,  is 
engaged  on  the  side  of  deism  ?”  asked  Mrs  Henderson. 


285 


A  CHRISTIAN  AND  A  DEIST. 


21 


“  I  cannot  acknowledge  it;”  replied  George,  hesita¬ 
tingly.  “  Why  should  I  feel  any  predilection  for  one 
side  more  than  the  other?  I  have  always  believed  myself 
entirely  impartial,  and  cannot  conceive  that  I  am  not.” 

“You  must  decide  that  point  yourself,  my  son;” 
replied  his  mother.  “  If  you  feel  sure  that  you  would 
not  be  sorry  to  be  convinced  you  have  been  advocating 
an  error,  if  you  would  not  be  glad  to  maintain  your 
cause,  and  even  to  convince  those  opposed  to  you ;  there 
is  no  doubt  that  truth  alone  is  the  object  of  your  pursuit, 
and  that  when  it  is  fairly  presented  to  you,  it  will  be 
cordially  received.  But  if,  on  examining  your  heart,  you 
do  not  find  that  such  would  be  your  feelings,  it  must  be 
evident  to  you,  as  it  is  to  me,  that  you  argue  for  victory, 
and  not  for  truth,  and  that  you  will  shut  your  eyes  to 
whatever  opposes  your  opinions,  whenever  it  is  possible.” 

“  Allowing  my  mind,  for  the  sake  of  argument,  to  be 
in  the  state  you  suppose  it — what  do  you  think  I  ought 
to  do  ?”  asked  George. 

“  I  should  advise  you,  my  dear,”  replied  his  mother, 
in  the  first  place,  to  examine  the  effects  on  the  human 
character,  of  the  two  opposite  opinions  ;  and  to  ascertain 
as  far  as  you  can,  which  belief,  fully  acted  upon,  is  most 
conducive  to  the  happiness  of  this  life.  If  it  should 
appear  to  you,  after  such  a  deliberate  examination,  that 
mankind  universally  need  such  a  faith  in  a  superintend¬ 
ing  providence  as  the  gospel  discovers  to  us,  to  reconcile 
them  to  the  trials  of  life  ;  if  they  require  the  restraints 
which  a  conviction  of  a  future  state  of  rewards  and 
punishments  imposes  ;  if  they  are  supported  under  suffer- 
ing,  by  the  promises  of  God  ;  if  this  system  is  calculated 
to  improve,  elevate,  and  purify  character;  if,  in  short,  it 
greatly  increases  happiness,  and  diminishes  sorrow,  even 


22 


A  DIALOGUE  3ETWEEN 


2S6 


in  this  world,  setting  aside  the  internal  evidence  this  fact 
would  afford  of  its  divine  origin,  should  you  not  think  it 
highly  desirable,  that  mankind,  whether  the  system  be 
true  or  false,  should  be  induced  to  give  a  full  and  hearty 
credence  to  it  V 5 

“  Most  certainly  replied  George.  tC  if  such  could  be 
the  fact.  But.  it  is  a  fundamental  principle  in  moral 
philosophy,  that  falsehood  cannot  reaily  increase  happi¬ 
ness,  but  on  the  contrary,  must  destroy  it,  first  or  last. 
And  this  is  one  reason  for  trying  to  induce  people  to  give 
up  the  delusion  which  charms  them  so  much.” 

“  That  is  begging  the  question,”  said  Mrs  Henderson. 

“  How  so  ?”  asked  George. 

“  By  taking  it  for  granted  that  the  Christian  system  is 
a  falsehood  ;  which  is  the  point  at  issue,”  replied  his 
mother.  “  You  must  not  assume  points  in  this  way; 
but  simply  inquire  what  is  the  fact,  whether  a  belief  in 
the  gospel  be  desirable  or  not.  Can  you  not  inquire 
what  are  the  advantages  or  disadvantages  of  the  Christian 

O  O 

faith,  as  it  respects  our  condition  in  this  life  ?” 

“  Why  certainly  that  can  be  done,”  said  George. 

u  Well  my  dear,”  replied  his  mother,  “  that  is  what  I 
wish  you  to  do  in  the  first  place,  as  candidly  and  impar¬ 
tially  as  you  can.  When  you  have  taken  time  to  weigh 
this  question  maturely,  I  think  you  will  perceive  that  it  is 
desirable  that  mankind  should  believe  in  divine  revela¬ 
tion.  You  will  see  that  such  a  belief  must  conduce  to 
their  temporal  welfare  ;  if  so,  you  will  also  perceive  that  no 
person  of  kind  and  benevolent  disposition  would  ever 
desire  to  utter  a  word  tending  to  raise  a  doubt  in  the 
mind  of  a  believer;  and  you  will  resolve  henceforth  to 
hold  your  opinion  in  silence  and  secrecy,  if  you  continue 


287 


A  CHRISTIAN  AND  A  DEIST. 


OQ 

. 

to  believe  that  your  superior  intellect  enables  you  to  see 
farther  and  deeper  and  higher  than  all  the  Christian  world, 
and  that  you  know  to  be  false  what  they  receive  as  divine 
truth.  When  you  can  feel  and  resolve  thus,  and  not  till 
then,  will  your  mind  be  in  a  fit  state  to  examine  on  what 
evidence  the  Christian  faith  rests.” 

George  made  no  reply  to  these  remarks,  and  his  mother 
after  a  short  silence  added — “  We  will  dismiss  this  sub¬ 
ject  now,  for  1  find  there  is  too  much  excitement  in  the 
prospect,  to  allow  the  mind  to  dwell  on  anything  else.” 

George  did  not  feel  satisfied  with  the  turn  the  conver¬ 
sation  had  taken  ;  nor  with  the  situation  in  which  it  left 
him.  He  was  somewhat  tired  of  the  subject,  which  his 
mother  perceived,  and  on  that  account  had  changed  it  for 
a  lighter  one  ;  still  he  did  not  like  to  leave  the  argument 
resting  in  this  manner.  He  was  not  easy  in  Ins  new 
predicament,  but  he  saw  no  ready  way  to  extricate  him¬ 
self,  and  therefore  acquiesced  in  his  mother’s  proposal  of 
suspending  the  conversation.  They  soon  arrived  at  Na- 
hant,  where  they  found  a  numerous  company,  and  a  new 
and  livelier  train  of  thought  took  possession  of  his  mind. 

When  his  mother  after  dinner  retired  to  her  chamber 
to  refresh  herself  by  a  little  sleep,  George  rambled  out 
alone  among  the  rocks,  and  indulged  his  disposition  to 
muse.  He  tried  to  comply  with  his  mother’s  request,  and 
to  discover  the  advantages  that  would  result  to  him  if  he 
could  be  convinced  that  the  Christian  religion  was  found- 
ed  in  truth.  But  this  was  a  new  subject,  of  investiga¬ 
tion  ;  he  had  never  thought  upon  it,  and  was  quite  unpre¬ 
pared  to  look  deeply  and  thoroughly  into  it.  His  reason¬ 
ings  and  his  facts  had  been  altogether  in  another  path. 
To  meet  the  arguments  of  those  who  defend  the  system, 


24 


A  DIALOGUE,  &C. 


28S 


and  to  oppose  to  them,  all  he  had  been  able  to  collect,  or 
could  himself  suggest,  had  been  his  aim  and  his  habit; 
and  any  other  mode  of  examining  the  subject,  he  had  not 
attempted.  At  one  time  he  resolved,  that  he  would  mod¬ 
estly  acknowledge  to  his  mother  his  inability  to  comply 
with  her  wishes,  and  request  her  aid  in  pointing  out  the 
benefit,  in  our  temporal  state,  of  a  belief  in  Christianity  ; 
but  his  pride  revolted  at  such  an  idea,  and  he  at  length 
determined  he  would  take  longer  time  to  consider  the 
subject  and  say  nothing  more  respecting  it  at  present. 

In  this  state  of  mind,  after  tea,  he  brought  the  chaise 
to  the  door  and  handed  his  mother  into  it.  She  had  no 
intention  of  alluding  again  to  religion.  If  she  excelled 

o  o  o 

in  any  talent,  it  was  in  watching  nicely  the  state  of  feel¬ 
ing  of  those  with  whom  she  associated;  and  in  a  delicate 
tact,  that  enabled  her  to  adapt  her  treatment  to  the  ever 
changing  and  complicated  tone  of  their  spirits,  and  the 
degree  of  light,  at  the  moment  beaming  on  their  under- 
standings.  The  conversation  during  their  ride  home  was 
various  and  pleasant.  Mrs  Henderson  manifested  her 
usual  affectionate  attentions  to  her  son  ;  entertained  him 
with  anecdotes  of  her  early  days,  a  theme  always  delight¬ 
ful  to  the  young  ;  encouraged  him  by  acknowledging  and 
approving  his  good  qualities;  listened  with  complacency 
to  his  gay  and  juvenile  remarks,  and  repressing  the  dis¬ 
position,  often  so  strong  in  maternal  bosoms,  to  reprove 
and  give  advice,  she  strove  to  render  the  excursion  so 
pleasing  as  to  leave  on  his  feelings  a  happy  impression. 


X 


SECOND 

ANNUAL  REPORT 


OF  THE 


AMERICAN  UNITARIAN 

ASSOCIATION. 

WITH  AN  APPENDIX. 


BOSTON, 

BOWLES  AND  DEARBORN,  72  WASHINGTON  STREET. 

GENERAL  DEPOSITORY  OF  THE  AMERICAN  UNITARIAN  ASSO¬ 
CIATION. 

1827. 


BOSTCLV, 

Isaac  R.  Butts  and  Co.  Printers. 


AMERICAN 


UNITARIAN  ASSOCIATION. 


THE  SECOND  ANNUAL  MEETING 

Of  the  American  Unitarian  Association  was  held  in 
Boylston  Hall,  Washington  Street,  Boston,  on  Tuesday 
evening,  May  29th,  1827,  Rev.  Dr  Bancroft  presiding. 
Rev.  Dr  Thayer  of  Lancaster  offered  prayers.  The  record 
of  the  proceedings  at  the  last  anniversary  was  read  by  the 
Secretary.  The  Treasurer  read  the  following  Report, 
which  was  accepted. 

TREASURER’S  REPORT. 

The  Treasurer,  at  the  last  anniversary,  submitted  his 
first  Annual  Report,  with  a  certificate  of  the  Auditors, 
certifying  that  the  accounts  to  the  31st  December,  1825, 
had  been  examined,  with  the  vouchers,  leaving  a  balance 
in  his  hands  of  $545,22.  At  the  same  time  a  pro  forma 
account  was  exhibited,  (which  will  be  included  in  the  ac¬ 
count  of  the  present  year)  from  January  1,  to  May  29, 

1826,  with  a  balance  of  money  on  hand,  $709,98. 

The  Treasurer  now  presents  his  second  Annual  Report, 
embracing  the  period  from  January  1,  1826,  to  May  24, 

1827,  a  year  and  upwards  of  four  months,  with  the  cer¬ 
tificate  of  the  Auditors. 


4 


RECEIPTS. 

Balance  in  the  Treasury  January  1,  1826 
47  Life  Subscriptions  -  $30  each 

Annual  Subscriptions  - 

Donations  - 

( a)  Received  for  support  of  a  Domestic  Missionary  in 
Boston  -  -  - 

Received  on  account  of  Tracts  sold 


545  22 
1410  00 
764  00 
383  26 

712  00 

154  97 


Total  amount  of  receipts  -  $3969  45 

EXPENDITURES. 

Donation  to  Society  in  Harrisburg,  Penn.  -  -  100  00 

“  Society  in  Augusta,  Georgia  -  -  100  00 

Mr  Farr,  for  preaching  at  Brooklyn,  Conn,  while  Rev.  } 

Mr  May  was  on  a  journey  in  the  service  of  the  >  60  00 

Association  -  y 

(b)  65,500  Tracts  including  paper,  printing,  &c.  -  1725  17 


Amount  carried  forward  -  -  $19S5  17 


(a)  Received  from  Ladies  of  Brattle  Street  Society  -  100  00 

“  “  Federal  Street  Society  -  174  00 

“  “  West  Boston  Society  -  85  00 

“  “  New  South  Society  -  150  00 

<£  “  New  North  Society  -  50  00 

“  “  Twelfth  Congregational  Church  65  00 

“  cc  Chauncy  Place  Society  -  47  00 

Received  by  hands  of  Rev.  Dr.  Tuckerman  -  41  00 


$712  00 


(b)  Tract  No.  1.  The  Faith  once  delivered  to  the  Saints  ) 

3  editions  ) 

2.  One  Hundred  Scriptural  Arguments,  3  eds. 

3.  Sewall’s  Discourse  on  Human  Depravity,  ) 

2  eds.  -  5 

4.  Omniscience  the  Attribute  of  the  Father  > 

Only,  2  eds.  ) 

5.  On  Religious  Phraseology,  2  eds. 

6.  Letter  on  the  Principles  of  the  Mission-  < 

ary  Enterprise,  2  eds.  -  $ 

7.  The  Unitarian’s  Answer,  2  eds. 

8.  Channing’s  Discourse  on  the  Evidences  ) 

of  Revealed  Religion,  2  eds.  -  > 

9.  Causes  of  the  Progress  of  Liberal  Chris-  ) 

tianity  in  New-England,  2  eds.  -  ) 


9,500 

8,000 

5,000 

5,000 

4,000 

4,000 

6,000 

6,000 

6,000 


5 


Amount  brought  forward 
Travelling  Expenses  of  Agents 
Rev.  E.  Q.  Sewall  for  editing  the  Christian  Reg¬ 
ister  - 

Extra  copies,  new  types  &c. 


-  *1985  17 

498  05 

230  00 
73  74 


303  74 

Deduct  received  from  Mr  D.  Reed,  allowance  )  ~g 
for  new  subscribers  to  the  Christian  Register,  5 

Printing  Circulars,  Certificates  &c.  - 

Advertising,  Account  Books,  Collecting  Subscriptions,  ) 
writing  for  Secretary,  Postage  &,c.  -  ) 

Six  months  Salary  of  Rev.  Dr  Tuckerman  as  Domestic  ) 
Missionary  -  -  -  -  ) 


245  01 
50  On 

38  07 
300  00 


Total  amount  of  expenditures  -  -  -  $3116  90 


We  hereby  certify  that  we  have  examined  the  accounts  of  Lewis 
Tappan,  as  Treasurer  of  the  American  Unitarian  Association  to  the 
24th  May  1827,  with  the  necessaiy  vouchers  ;  that  the  same  are  cor¬ 
rect  ;  and  the  balance  in  the  Treasurer’s  hands  on  the  said  day  was 
eight  hundred  fifty  two  dollars  and  fifty  five  cents. 

J Signed)  Robert  wTterston,  }  Auditors. 

Boston ,  24 th  May ,  1827. 

RESOURCES  OF  THE  ASSOCIATION. 


Cash  in  the  Treasury  May  24,  1827  -  $852  55 

Due  from  Subscribers  in  the  countrv  for  years  > 

1825  and  1826  -  -  <d69  00 


Amount  carried  forward  -  $369  00  852  55 


10.  Remarks  on  a  Popular  Error  respecting 


the  Lord’s  Supper,  1  ed.  -  y  5 

11.  Unitarianism  Vindicated,  1  ed.  -  5,000 

First  Annual  Report  of  the  American  Unita-  )  ~  . 

rian  Association,  1  ed.  -  y  5 

Dr.  Tuckerman’s  Report,  1  ed.  -  1,000 


[  * 


Total 


65,500 


6 


Amount  brought  forward 

Do.  for  year  1827  - 

Due  from  Subscribers  in  Boston  for  years  1825  and  ) 
1826  . 5 

Do.  for  year  1827  - 

Due  from  Mr  David  Reed  for  Tracts  sold  by  him  ) 
and  due  in  Cash  -  5 

For  Tracts  in  hands  of  Agents,  per  agreement,) 
of  which  is  due  in  cash  $68  78  5 

Additional  allowance  for  new  Subscribers  to  the  ) 
Christian  Register,  -  5 

From  Messrs  Bowles  &  Dearborn  for  Tracts  ) 
sold  by  them,  but  not  yet  due  -  5 

Do.  for  subscriptions  received  by  them 


$369  00  852  55 
832  00 


16 

00 

201 

,00 

69 

11 

206 

29 

35 

34 

360 

15 

47 

00 

1418  00 


310  74 


Tracts  in  hands  of  General  Agents  estimated  at  3-5ths  of 
retail  prices  - 

Total  amount  of  Assets  of  the  Association, 


407  15 
!  366  95 

$3355  39 


The  Executive  Committee  intended  keeping  the  Life 
Subscriptions  as  a  permanent  fund,  but  as  the  sums  due 
to  the  Association  were  not  paid  agreeably  to  expectation, 
they  have  been  obliged  to  borrow  from  this  fund  to  meet 
the  necessary  disbursements.  The  number  of  Life  Sub- 
scriptions  is  53,  at  30  dollars  each,  amounting  to  $1590,00. 
The  number  of  Annual  Subscribers  is  838,  and  the  amount 
of  their  subscriptions  is  $977,00.  As  the  principal  part 
of  these  subscriptions  is  one  dollar  each,  the  expense  of 
collecting  would  be  saved,  if  subscribers  would  transmit 
the  sums  due  from  them  to  Messrs  Bowles  &  Dearborn, 
at  the  Depository  of  the  Association  No.  72,  Washington 
Street,  who  are  authorized  on  behalf  of  the  Treasurer,  to 
receive  and  receipt  for  all  Annual  Subscriptions,  Life 
Subscriptions  and  Donations. 


7 


All  Life  Subscriptions  and  Donations  will  be  acknow¬ 
ledged  in  the  Christian  Register,  or  otherwise,  when  re¬ 
quested. 

All  which  is  submitted  by 

LEWIS  TAPPAN,  Treasurer. 

Boston ,  29 tli  May ,  1827. 

The  Secretary  read  the  Report  of  the  Executive  Com¬ 
mittee,  which  was  accepted. 

SECOND  ANNUAL  REPORT 

OF  THE 

EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE. 

The  second  anniversary  of  this  Association  imposes 
upon  those  who  have  the  control  of  its  affairs  a  duty,  which 
they  rejoice  to  perform.  They  are  required  to  exhibit 
an  account  of  their  operations,  and  to  present  such  state¬ 
ments,  as  may  show  the  utility  or  the  defects  of  the  insti¬ 
tution.  They  conceive  that  they  are  also  expected  to 
call  the  attention  of  this  meeting,  and  of  Unitarian  Chris¬ 
tians  generally,  to  those  circumstances  which  do,  or  may 
powerfully  affect  our  religious  interests.  As  one  of  the 
objects  particularly  entrusted  to  them,  is  the  increase  of 
mutual  acquaintance  among  Unitarians,  they  should  pos¬ 
sess  a  greater  amount  of  information  respecting  the  pro¬ 
gress  of  our  sentiments  than  can  be  obtained  by  in¬ 
dividuals.  Their  correspondence,  extended  in  various 
directions,  enables  them  to  estimate  the  degree  of  favor 
which  these  opinions  enjoy,  and  the  probability  of  their 
rapid  diffusion.  The  present  occasion  is  favorable  to  an 
attempt  at  producing  unity  of  sentiment  and  energy  of  ac¬ 
tion  on  points  of  vital  importance.  The  annual  meeting 


of  this  society  is  not  designed  to  create  a  temporary 
excitement.  The  effects  of  our  anniversary  should  be 
perceived  through  the  subsequent  year.  It  is  the  only 
celebration  in  which  Unitarians  throughout  the  United 
States  feel  an  interest,  or  can  be  represented.  If  no  other 
good  were  effected  by  the  existence  of  this  Association, 
than  the  annual  recurrence  of  such  a  meeting,  this  alone 
would  justify  its  establishment. 

The  objects  proposed  in  our  constitution  have  been 
pursued  during  the  last  year,  as  far  as  circumstances 
permitted.  The  need  of  information  on  which  reliance 
could  be  placed,  induced  the  Committee,  as  was  stated  in 
the  last  Report,  to  incur  the  expense  of  sending  a  special 
agent  to  the  Western  States.  He  was  directed  to  travel 
through  Pennsylvania,  Ohio,  Kentucky,  Indiana  and  Illi¬ 
nois,  and  to  ascertain  the  real  wants  and  disposition  of 
the  people,  to  collect  such  facts  as  might  illustrate  their 
religious  history  and  character,  to  form  acquaintance  with 
those  persons  whom  he  should  find  to  hold  the  same  prin¬ 
ciples  of  belief  with  himself,  and  to  open  the  way  for 
future  correspondence  and  operation.  This  gentleman 
was  employed  on  his  tour  during  five  months,  having  at 
his  return,  “  passed  through  twelve  States,  visited  fifteen 
Counties  in  Pennsylvania,  twenty-five  in  Ohio,  twelve  in 
Kentucky,  twenty-two  in  Indiana,  twelve  in  Illinois  and 
two  in  Missouri,  and  travelled  between  four  and  five 
thousand  miles,  and  one  half  of  this  distance  on  horse¬ 
back.”  His  journey  was  highly  satisfactory.  The  intelli¬ 
gence  which  he  transmitted  was  ample,  and  the  sources 
whence  it  was  derived,  were  such  as  entitle  it  to  reliance. 
Correspondents  have  been  secured,  by  whom  we  shall  be 
informed  of  opportunities  that  occur  of  introducing  true 


9 


religion  into  the  cities,  or  among  the  scattered  inhabitants 
of  this  part  of  the  republic,  which  must  be  indebted  to 
the  Atlantic  States  for  the  means  of  religious  instruction, 
or  be  imperfectly  enlightened.  A  security  is  provided 
against  an  injudicious  appropriation  of  money,  to  places 
of  which  we  before  had  insufficient  knowledge,  and  the 
perseverance,  fidelity  and  success  that  marked  Mr  Thomas’ 
mission  entitle  him  to  the  gratitude  of  the  Association. 

In  the  course  of  the  last  summer  the  Committee  availed 
themselves  of  the  services  of  several  members  of  the 
Theological  School  at  Cambridge,  who  devoted  a  part  of 
their  vacation  to  journeys  in  behalf  of  the  Association. 
The  Counties  of  Barnstable,  Bristol,  Plymouth,  Essex, 
Middlesex,  Worcester,  Hampshire,  Hampden  and  Frank¬ 
lin,  in  this  State,  and  some  towns  in  New-Hampshire  and 
Maine  were  visited,  and  though  the  time  that  could  be 
spent  in  this  office,  allowed  only  a  rapid  survey  of  the 
ground,  much  useful  information  was  gathered,  that  is 
now  on  the  files  of  the  Secretary,  and  some  interest 
awakened  in  the  minds  of  the  people.  Mr  May,  of  Brook¬ 
lyn,  in  Connecticut,  was  also  employed  to  visit  some 
towns  in  that  State,  and  has  transmitted  intelligence  that 
may  assist  the  future  directors.  Letters  have  been  re¬ 
ceived  from  the  middle  and  southern  States,  and  the 
Committee  have  embraced  whatever  opportunities  were 
offered  of  learning  the  spiritual  condition  of  the  land. 

From  these  various  sources  of  intelligence — narratives 
of  agents,  correspondence,  personal  interviews  and  public 
documents,  the  Committee  have  been  enabled  to  prepare 
a  brief  sketch  of  the  situation  and  prospects  of  Unitari- 
anism  in  the  United  States  at  the  present  time. 

The  State  of  Maine  offers  much  to  encourage  us.  De- 


10 


cisive  marks  have  recently  appeared  of  uneasiness  under 
modes  of  religious  instruction  which  have  prevailed,  al¬ 
most  to  the  exclusion  of  better  views  of  Christianity. 
The  system,  to  which  its  friends  have  unjustly  appropri¬ 
ated  the  name  of  orthodox,  does  not  hold  its  former  place 
in  the  confidence  of  the  people  ;  and  dissatisfied,  if  not 
disgusted,  both  with  the  doctrines,  and  with  the  manner 
of  their  inculcation,  they  are  eager  to  receive  a  more 
rational  faith.  In  this  state  of  mind,  they  are  liable  to 
run  to  an  opposite  extreme  from  the  faith  they  have  left. 
The  present  is  an  interesting  and  important  period  in  the 
religious  history  of  this  State.  The  community  are  ripe 
for  change,  ready  to  throw  off  the  trammels  of  spiritual 
domination  and  think  for  themselves.  Books  and  teachers 
would  here  produce  immediate  effects,  and  the  Committee 
hope  that  the  increase  of  funds  will  enable  them  to  em¬ 
ploy  a  missionary  in  Kennebec  county,  where  particularly 
one  might  render  service  to  the  cause  of  truth. 

From  New-Hampshire  also,  favorable  intelligence  has 
been  received — from  Portsmouth,  Keene,  Concord,  Dun¬ 
stable  and  other  towns.  Little  impression  has  yet  been 
made  by  our  opinions  in  Vermont,  but  the  Society  at 
Burlington  is  in  a  prosperous  state.  In  Rhode  Island, 
one  congregation  only,  is  known  as  Unitarian.  \t  is  large 
and  respectable.  Information  derived  from  various  sources 
has  shown,  that  the  efforts  in  Connecticut,  to  prevent 
even  a  desire  of  acquaintance  with  Unitarianisrn,  have 
not  been  successful.  Many  intelligent  individuals  in 
different  sections  of  the  State  are  favorably  disposed  to 
our  tenets,  and  wThen  opportunity  allows,  may  become 
their  open  advocates.  The  distribution  of  tracts,  if  they 
can  be  introduced  into  this  State,  will  gradually  remove 


11 


the  prejudices  of  the  people,  and  prepare  them  for  an 
attendance  on  Unitarian  preaching. 

In  Massachusetts,  Unitarianism  has  during  the  last 
year  made  considerable  progress,  especially  in  the  towns 
lying  along  the  Connecticut.  The  churches  in  that  part 
of  the  State  include  men  of  intelligence  and  influence. 
The  Unitarian  paper,  originally  established  at  Greenfield, 
has  been  removed  to  Northampton,  and  promises  efficient 
aid  to  liberal  Christianity.  In  the  interior  of  the  Com¬ 
monwealth,  the  principles  of  religious  freedom  and  simple 
Christianity  not  only  retain  their  long  established  influ¬ 
ence,  but  here,  and  also  in  Essex  county,  they  have 
gained  an  increase  of  power.  In  Boston,  and  in  the 

• 

neighboring  towns,  the  past  winter  has  been  a  season 
of  peculiar  interest.  The  attention  to  religious  and  moral 
subjects  has  been  greater  than  for  some  previous  years. 
Though  strenuous  and  persevering  efforts  have  been 
made,  to  give  ascendancy  to  another  system  of  faith,  the 
members  of  the  Committee,  after  a  careful  observation 
of  the  aspect  of  society,  avow  their  honest  conviction, 
that  the  advocates  and  professors  of  Unitarianism  in  this 
city  are  not  less  numerous,  and  are,  in  many  respects, 
more  enlightened,  decided  and  active,  than  at  the  com¬ 
mencement  of  the  last  summer.  A  society  has  been 
gathered  under  most  favorable  auspices,  in  the  new  church 
in  Purchase  Street,  and  another  meetinghouse  will  soon 
be  erected  in  the  south  part  of  the  city.  While  they 
rejoice  in  the  stability  of  sentiment  among  their  friends, 
they  still  more  rejoice  in  the  increase  of  vital  piety  and 
practical  goodness.  They  think  they  have  beheld  evi¬ 
dences  of  religious  improvement.  The  crowded  audien¬ 
ces  that  have  attended  the  lectures  delivered  in  our 


12 


churches  on  Sunday  evenings,  have  borne  testimony  to 
the  interest  felt  in  such  services.  The  Sunday  School 
Society,  recently  established,  whose  branches  are  meant 
to  extend  into  other,  and  distant  places,  will  provide,  or 
call  into  action  the  means  of  Christian  instruction,  which 
have  hitherto  been  partially  used  in  this  wTay.  In  the 
towns  about  Boston,  great  exertion  has  been  made  to  in¬ 
troduce  opinions,  hostile  to  those  cherished  by  us.  Your 
Committee  have  not  the  disposition  to  inquire  into  the 
propriety  of  the  measures  adopted  for  this  end.  They 
may  only  speak  of  the  consequences,  which  have  been 
unhappy,  in  producing  dissension  and  pain  ;  but  which 
have  also  been  favorable,  in  awakening  inquiries  into 
the  grounds  of  belief,  confirming  the  faith  of  many  in  the 
elements  of  the  gospel,  and  enkindling  a  greater  zeal  in 
their  support. 

The  situation  of  the  poor  in  Boston,  seemed  to  the 
Committee,  to  have  strong  claims  on  their  sympathy,  as 
trustees  of  funds  devoted  to  religious  and  benevolent  pur¬ 
poses.  In  a  city  containing  sixty  thousand  inhabitants, 
it  must  be,  that  many  are  deprived  through  circumstan¬ 
ces,  or  their  own  indifference,  of  the  benefit  of  religious 
privileges.  The  sad  condition  of  these  persons,  the  ig¬ 
norance  and  wretchedness  of  whole  families,  and  especial¬ 
ly  the  neglected  wants  of  children,  called  for  a  more 
effectual  assistance,  than  could  be  furnished  by  individ¬ 
uals.  It  was  doubtful  whether  the  Committee  would  be 
justified,  in  appropriating  the  funds  of  the  Association  to 
such  an  object,  and  a  subscription  was  proposed  among 
the  ladies  who  attend  the  liberal  churches  in  Boston. 
The  necessary  sum  was  soon  obtained.  With  the  bene¬ 
ficence  which  has  ever  distinguished  Christian  woman, 


13 


they  offered  both  money  and  personal  services.  By  a 
most  happy  coincidence  of  circumstances,  Rev.  Dr  Tuck- 
erman  was  at  that  time  released  from  the  engagements  of 
a  parish  and  was  disposed  to  enter  on  this  field  of  useful¬ 
ness.  The  success  which  has  attended  his  labors  from 
their  commencement,  has  surpassed  the  most  sanguine 
expectations  of  the  friends  of  this  mission.  A  hall  was 
procured  in  the  North  part  of  the  city,  in  which  divine 
service  has  been  attended  on  Sunday  evenings  by  a  full 
*  assembly.  The  calls  on  the  missionary  for  counsel  and 
assistance  have  been  more  than  he  could  possibly  answer, 
and  his  devotedness  and  perseverance  have  been  carried 
so  far  as  seriously  to  affect  his  health.  In  view  of  the 
wants  of  that  class  to  whom  he  ministers,  he  has  repeat¬ 
edly  advised  the  appointment  of  another  laborer  in  the 
same  sphere  of  duty,  and  your  Committee  have  no  doubt, 
that  a  slight  effort  would  procure  the  requisite  salary.  As 
soon  therefore  as  a  suitable  person  can  be  found,  the 
means  of  employing  his  aid  will  be  solicited.  The  good 
effected  by  this  mission  has  been  such  as  merits  our 
thanks  to  those  who  bestowed  the  means  of  its  establish¬ 
ment,  to  him  who  has  prosecuted  it  with  untiring  zeal,  and 
especially  to  that  Providence,  under  which  this  moral 
engine  was  brought  into  operation.  The  first  quarterly 
Report  of  the  Boston  Missionary  has  been  printed,  and 
this  and  a  second  report,  lately  made  by  him,  contain 
many  affecting  statements.  The  relief  which  he  has 
been  enabled  to  administer  to  the  destitute  and  friendless, 
through  the  kindness  of  those  who  have  supplied  his 
“  poors’  purse,”  has  been  the  means  of  saving  families 
from  intemperance  and  ruin,  and  of  preparing  them  for 
direct  religious  instruction.  The  correspondence  of  Uni- 

2 


I 


14 

tananism  to  the  wants  of  the  poor  has  been  practically 
and  forcibly  exhibited. 

A  second  Unitarian  Church  has  been  recently  dedi¬ 
cated  in  New-York  ;  its  prospects  are  good,  a  pastor  only 
is  needed  to  its  prosperity.  Events  of  a  remarkable 
character  have  occurred  within  the  last  year,  in  the 
western  part  of  the  State  of  New-York.  The  church  at 
Trenton  has  been  strengthened  by  the  efforts  to  over¬ 
throw  it,  and  the  violent  policy  of  the  dominant  sect  in 
that  region,  has  made  itself  obnoxious  to  all  friends  of 
“  decency  and  order.”  The  church  at  Philadelphia  has 
had  considerable  accession  of  strength  ;  that  at  Baltimore, 
has  recovered  from  its  embarrassments,  and  is  prepared 
for  a  settled  ministry :  and  the  society  at  Washington 
maintains  itself  successfully  amidst  the  obstacles  to  its 
growth.  Liberal  Christianity  has  also  made  progress 
in  the  Southern  States,  particularly  in  the  Carolinas  and 
Georgia.  It  has  acquired  new  friends  in  the  interior  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  during  the  last  winter,  a  church  was 
dedicated  at  Harrisburg.*  Your  Committee  have  received 
intelligence  from  important  places  in  these  several  States, 
of  a  nature  to  excite  gratitude  and  hope.  The  length 
to  which  their  Report  is  necessarily  extended,  prevents 
more  particularity  of  detail. 

The  Northwestern  States  of  the  Union  offer  animating 
prospects.  The  progress  of  Unitarianism  in  that  part  of 
the  country,  during  the  last  ten  years,  has  been  remarka¬ 
ble.  Under  the  preaching  and  example  of  the  Christian 
Connexion,  the  great  truths  of  the  gospel  have  been  in- 

*  Since  the  annual  meeting,  a  letter  has  been  received  from  Rev. 
Mr  Kay,  late  of  Northumberland,  (Penn.)  from  which  we  learn  that 
he  has  accepted  an  invitation  to  take  charge  ol  this  new  Society. 


15 


stilled  into  the  minds  of  many  thousands.  Error  has 
been  supplanted  and  irreligion  has  declined,  wherever 
these  faithful  disciples  of  the  Master  whose  name  alone 
they  consent  to  bear,  have  appeared.  In  most  of  their 
doctrinal  opinions  they  coincide  with  us.  “  As  to  their 
religious  character,  I  was  never,”  says  the  agent  who 
has  been  already  mentioned,  “  among  more  practical 
Christians  in  my  life.”  They  have  expressed  both  through 
him  and  other  means  of  communication,  the  sympathy 
which  they  wish  should  be  reciprocated  on  our  part. 
From  gentlemen  of  respectability  and  wealth,  resident  in 
the  western  country,  who  -are  not  members  of  the  Chris 
tian  denomination,  the  Committee  have  received  solicita¬ 
tions  for  tracts  and  preachers.  Cincinnati  and  Marietta 
in  Ohio,  St.  Louis  and  St.  Charles  in  Missouri,  Louisville 
in  Kentucky,  and  Nashville  in  Tennessee,  particularly 
afford  promise  of  success  to  laborers  who  are  willing 
to  consecrate  their  powers  to  the  cause  of  righteousness 
in  this  portion  of  our  land.  In  either  of  these  cities  and 
probably  in  many  others,  a  Unitarian  society  could  be 
gathered  by  a  zealous  teacher. 

From  the  British  and  Foreign  Unitarian  Association, 
we  have  received  expressions  of  sympathy  and  the  promise 
of  cooperation.  Engaged  in  the  same  great  cause,  the 
cause  of  liberty  and  truth,  formed  at  the  same  period 
and  called  to  contend  with  many  difficulties  of  similar 
character,  these  two  Associations  should  be  united  in  inti¬ 
mate  friendship.  The  prospects  of  Unitarianism  abroad 
correspond  to  the  improvement  of  public  opinion  upon 
other  subjects.  A  greater  concentration  of  the  resources 
of  our  brethren  in  England  ;  the  change  which  has  trans- 


16 


ferred  the  Monthly  Repository  from  the  hands  of  an  indi¬ 
vidual  to  the  care  of  a  Society,  who  will  still  receive  the 
aid  of  that  distinguished  advocate  of  truth  ;  the  growth  of 
a  practical  spirit ;  and  the  frequency  of  communication 
between  this  country  and  Great  Britain,  from  which  we 
anticipate  improvement  to  ourselves,  we  regard  as  cir¬ 
cumstances  favorable  to  the  interests  of  Unitarian  Chris¬ 
tianity  in  the  land  of  our  forefathers.  On  the  continent 
of  Europe  likewise,  the  simple  gospel  is  preserved  in  warm 
and  faithful  hearts.  Geneva  has  sustained  the  noble 
character  which  it  acquired  in  the  early  days  of  the  re¬ 
formation,  and  the  city  where  Calvin  taught  with  equal 
zeal  separation  from  the  Romish  Church  and  submission 
to  his  own  authority,  has  discarded  the  dogmas,  that  it 
might  imitate  the  independence  of  its  great  teacher.  A 
reply  has  been  received  from  Mr.  Adam  of  Calcutta,  to  a 
letter  addressed  him  in  the  name  of  the  Association. 
While,  however,  your  Committee  are  desirous  to  maintain 
a  correspondence  with  their  brethren  in  all  parts  of  the 
earth,  they  have  not  considered  themselves  at  liberty  to 
enter  on  the  sphere  of  usefulness  undertaken  by  the  So¬ 
ciety  for  promoting  Christianity  in  India.  A  very  partial 
correspondence  with  foreign  countries  has  been  main¬ 
tained  during  the  last  year.  It  is  hoped  that  circumstan¬ 
ces  will  enable  the  Committee  of  the  next  year,  to  perform 
this  service  more  satisfactorily. 

The  department  of  the  Society’s  operations,  which 
has  been  most  diligently  prosecuted,  is  the  printing  of 
tracts.  Yet,  the  Committee  regret  that  they  have  been 
unable  to  meet  the  demands  of  the  public.  The  past 
year  has  strengthened  the  conviction  that  the  chief  obsta¬ 
cle  in  the  way  of  truth,  is  precisely  that  which  this  Asso- 


17 


ciation  is  intended  to  remove,  the  inadequacy  of  the 
present  means  of  religious  knowledge.  The  disposition 
to  receive  correct  views  of  Christian  faith,  does  not  need 
to  be  created.  The  desire  for  an  enlightened,  scriptural 
and  generous  theology  already  exists.  Multitudes  are 
ready  to  leave  the  paths  of  error,  if  some  hand  will  offer 
itself,  to  lead  them  into  the  right  way.  Prejudice  and 
bigotry  are  yielding  place  to  a  spirit  of  inquiry.  The 

demand  for  our  tracts  has  been  remarkable,  as  no  extraor- 

/ 

dinary  efforts  have  been  made  to  diffuse  them,  and  even 
the  ordinary  methods  of  introducing  works  into  circula¬ 
tion  have  only  of  late  been  employed.  The  engagements 
of  the  former  agent  in  this  city  prevented  such  an  atten¬ 
tion  on  his  part,'to  the  business  of  the  General  Depository, 
as  was  necessary  to  its  full  success  ;  and  with  the  com¬ 
mencement  of  the  present  calendar  year,  the  agency  was 
transferred  to  Messrs  Bowles  &,  Dearborn,  whose  con¬ 
nexions  as  publishers  and  booksellers,  enable  them  to 
extend  this  branch  of  our  operations  wherever  it  may  be 
proper.  The  enterprise  and  attention  of  the  present 
agents  recommend  them  to  patronage,  and  the  Executive 
Committee  are  unanimous  in  expressing  their  hope,  that 
they  will  receive  the  encouragement  they  merit.  Their 
interest  in  the  publishing  department  of  the  Christian 
Examiner,  the  Reading  Room  which  they  propose  to 
connect  with  the  bookstore  and  to  furnish  with  religious 
periodicals,  and  their  correspondence  with  England,  as 
well  as  their  situation  as  general  agents  of  this  Society, 
suggest  the  advantages  they  possess  as  Unitarian  book¬ 
sellers.  Since  the  General  Agency  has  been  in  their 
hands  twenty  three  new  agents  have  been  appointed, 

2* 


%  0 

18 

mostly  in  New-England.  Fifty  two  agencies  are  now 
connected  with  the  General  Depository,  and  measures 
have  been  taken  to  establish  others,  in  New-York,  Penn¬ 
sylvania  and  Ohio.  The  whole  number  of  tracts  printed 
by  the  Association  is  sixty  five  thousand  five  hundred. 
Several  of  these  tracts  are  large,  only  one  consists  of 
less  than  sixteen  pages.  Each  of  these  tracts  has  passed 
to  a  second,  and  most  of  them  to  a  third  edition.  They 
have  taken  the  rank  among  Unitarian  writings,  to  which 
their  merits  entitle  them,  and  the  constant  demand  for 
them,  from  persons  in  this  vicinity  and  at  a  distance,  will 
probably  render  a  republication  of  them  all  necessary  in 
the  course  of  the  next  year.  While  your  Committee  have 
perceived  such  a  desire  of  instruction,  they  have  been 
pained  that  what  they  could  do  to  gratify  it  was  so  inad¬ 
equate.  The  easy  and  wide  distribution  of  our  tracts, 
the  eagerness  with  which  they  are  sought,  and  the  proba¬ 
bility  that  they  will  have  readers  as  long  as  our  Associa¬ 
tion  continues,  recommend  this  mode  of  publication  in 
preference  to  any  other.  Tracts  bearing  our  name,  are 
circulated  through  the  country,  and  are  read  by  more 
persons,  and  in  more  distant  places  than  such  as  are 
offered  without  this  pledge  for  their  character.  The 
friend  of  Unitarian  Christianity  can  find  no  more  effec¬ 
tual  way  of  inculcating  correct  principles,  yet  for  want  of 
the  assistance  they  had  hoped  and  expected  to  receive, 
the  directors  are  compelled  to  disappoint  themselves  and 
others,  and  to  hear  repeated  calls  for  new  tracts,  which 
they  cannot  answer. 

The  funds  of  the  Association  do  not  warrant  a  large 
expenditure.  The  Treasurer’s  account  has  exhibited  the 


19 


receipts  of  the  year,  which,  though  not  equal  to  the  hopes 
some  may  have  formed  from  the  interest  awakened  at 
the  last  anniversary,  have  been  perhaps,  as  great  as  could 
be  reasonably  expected.  A  more  generous  encourage¬ 
ment  might  have  enabled  the  Committee  to  prosecute 
their  objects  to  the  extent  which  opportunity  and  inclina¬ 
tion  recommended.  The  number  of  life  subscribers  is 
fifty  three,  the  amount  of  annual  subscriptions  nearly 
§1000.  Fifteen  Auxiliary  Associations  have  been  organ¬ 
ized,  and  others  are  proposed.  The  Committee  repeat 
the  suggestion  made  in  the  last  report,  that  auxiliaries 
are  almost  indispensable  to  our  success.  If  we  would 
either  have  a  full  treasury,  or  put  our  tracts  into  general 
circulation,  branches  of  the  parent  society  must  be 
formed.  The  amount  of  uncollected  subscriptions  is 
§1418 — all  of  which,  and  treble  which  might  have  been 
received  and  expended,  had  these  channels  of  intercourse 
been  opened.  Among  the  expenditures  of  the  past  year, 
will  be  found  an  appropriation  of  §100  to  a  Unitarian 
Society  in  Augusta  (Georgia,)  who  were  desirous  of 
erecting  a  church  for  the  worship  of  God  the  Father. 
The  circumstances  of  the  case  seemed  to  justify  this  do¬ 
nation,  though  it  was  for  an  object  which  it  is  deemed 
less  judicious  to  aid  from  the  funds  of  this  Association 
than  many  others. 

The  hopes  entertained  of  a  permanent  arrangement, 
by  which  the  Christian  Register  should  be  published 
under  the  patronage  of  this  Association,  have  been  disap¬ 
pointed.  The  protracted  sickness  of  the  gentleman, 
whose  services  were  for  a  time  enjoyed  in  the  editorial 
department,  compelled  his  friends  to  resign  the  expec- 


20 


tation  of  his  speedy  recovery.  They  have  still  to  lament 
his  confinement  by  painful  disease.  Having  entered  into 
an  obligation  to  provide  an  editor,  for  at  least  one  year, 
the  Executive  Committee  continued  their  oversight  of  the 
paper  till  last  January,  when  they  relinquished  their  con¬ 
tract,  and  they  have  since  had  no  other  interest  in  its 
management  than  is  felt  by  its  other  friends.  The 
release  of  the  proprietor  and  editor  from  other  cares  will 
enable  him  to  give  his  entire  attention  to  the  paper,  and 
it  is  hoped  that  the  encouragement  due  to  his  efforts 
which  has  hitherto  been  inadequately  rendered,  will  not  be 
withheld. — The  Christian  Examiner  has  been  conducted 
by  the  present  editor,  with  an  ability  that  deserves  much 
greater  recompense  than  it  has  received.  The  patron¬ 
age  of  this  work  though  considerable,  is  far  below  its 
merits.  The  first  Unitarian  periodical  in  this  country  in 
pretension  and  in  character,  and  inferior  to  no  other 
work  of  the  same  nature,  it  should  be  liberally  supported  ; 
and  the  Committee  believe  they  are  discharging  their 
duty,  so  far  as  it  requires  them  to  suggest  means  of  reli¬ 
gious  improvement,  when  they  urge  its  claims  on  the 
members  of  this  Association. — Another  publication  to 
which  they  would  call  the  attention  of  Unitarians,  will 
soon  be  commenced  in  Keene,  New-Hampshire.  The 
purpose  of  the  editor,  is  to  give  in  a  monthly  number, 
sermons  of  living  Unitarian  preachers.  The  excellence 
of  the  design,  the  reputation  of  the  gentlemen  who  have 
promised  their  assistance,  and  the  character  of  the  editor 
induce  the  belief,  that  this  will  be  an  important  instru¬ 
ment  in  diffusing  truth. 

Though  it  is  not  immediately  connected  with  the  ope- 


i 


21 


rations  of  the  Executive  Committee,  they  cannot  deny 
themselves  the  privilege  of  calling  the  attention  of  this 
meeting  to  another  great  instrument  of  good,  the  Theo¬ 
logical  School  at  Cambridge.  “  They  who  are  acquainted 
with  its  concerns,  know  that  they  are  in  a  prosperous 
state,  and  that  the  spirit  of  study,  improvement  and  piety 
prevails  to  a  most  commendable  and  gratifying  extent.” 
And  your  Committee  adopt  the  sentiment  of  the  directors 
of  the  Institution,  that  “  it  ought  to  be  a  favorite  object 
with  our  religious  community.” 

On  a  review  of  the  interests  confided  to  them,  the  Exe¬ 
cutive  Committee  can  express  a  conviction,  even  stronger 
than  was  felt  on  the  last  anniversary,  that  this  Associa¬ 
tion  was  established  at  a  propitious  moment,  and  that  if 
it  be  properly  conducted  and  supported,  it  may  render 
essential  service  to  the  cause  of  good  morals,  and  en¬ 
lightened  piety,  of  Christian  truth,  charity  and  love. 
They  are  encouraged  by  the  favor  already  shown  to 
their  opinions,  and  still  more  by  the  prospects  of  their 
extended  influence.  They  think  there  is  occasion  for 
gratitude  and  confidence,  for  diligence  and  activity. 
They  cheerfully  trust  their  religion  to  the  providence 
and  grace  of  God,  believing,  as  they  believe  the  divinity 
of  their  sentiments,  that  they  need  only  clear  exposition, 
faithful  defence,  and  practical  obedience  to  insure  them 
ultimate,  if  not  speedy  triumph.  Let  them  be  recom¬ 
mended  by  clear  minds,  warm  hearts  and  holy  lives, 
and  they  will  stand  and  prevail.  The  truth  as  it  is  in 
Jesus,  will  be  mighty  and  overcome  all  obstacles  thrown 
in  its  way  from  honest  or  corrupt  motives,  and  the  hour 
be  rolled  on  before  another  generation  has  covered  the 


22 


face  of  the  land,  when  the  churches  of  our  Lord  shall  be 
filled  with  worshippers  of  one  God,  even  the  Father,  who 
sent  his  Son,  to  be  the  light  and  Saviour  of  mankind. 

Soon  after  the  annual  meeting  of  last  year,  the  cause 
of  truth  and  virtue  sustained  a  painful  loss,  by  the  death 
of  Nathaniel  A.  Haven,  Esq.  of  Portsmouth  N.  H.  who 
had  been  elected  a  Vice  President  of  the  Association. 
Few  have  rendered  themselves  more  dear  to  the  lovers 
of  excellence,  few  have,  in  so  short  a  life,  connected 
themselves  so  closely  with  the  best  interests  of  society, 
and  of  few  were  such  hopes  of  usefulness  cherished. 
He  was  removed  by  that  Providence  whose  ways  are 
wisdom  and  love,  though  they  are  often  covered  with 
darkness.  He  has  left  us  an  example  of  Christian  zeal, 
of  benevolent  activity,  and  of  humble  piety,  which  we 
may  rejoice  that  it  is  our  privilege  to  hold  in  remem¬ 
brance. 

After  the  report  had  been  read  and  accepted,  Rev.  Mr 
Gannett  of  Boston  offered  the  following  resolution,  which 
he  supported  by  some  remarks  on  the  circumstances  fa¬ 
vorable  to  immediate  effort,  on  the  inadequacy  of  the 
present  means  of  instruction,  and  on  the  incitements  to 
exertion  which  are  furnished  by  the  nature  and  impor¬ 
tance  of  truth,  and  the  example  of  those  who  have  pro¬ 
moted  its  diffusion.  Before  he  sat  down,  he  requested 
Mr  Thomas,  who  had  travelled  in  the  Western  States 
under  the  direction  of  the  Executive  Committee,  to  state 
the  impressions  received  on  his  journey.  Mr  Thomas 
bore  testimony  to  the  wants  of  the  country,  the  disposi¬ 
tion  of  the  people  to  hear  Unitarian  preachers,  and  the 


% 


23 


excellence  of  character,  and  the  friendly  feelings  which  he 
found  among  the  members  of  the  Christian  denomination. 
He  seconded  the  resolution  offered. 

Rev.  Mr  Colman  of  Salem,  expressed  his  doubts  con¬ 
cerning  the  necessity  or  utility  of  increased  exertions  to 
educate  candidates  for  the  ministry  ;  and  was  followed  by 
Mr  Saltonstall  of  Salem,  and  Mr  L.  Tappan,  of  Boston, 
who  replied  to  some  points,  both  of  reasoning  and  fact,  in 
Mr  Colman’s  remarks. — The  resolution  was  then  ac¬ 
cepted — viz. 

Resolved ,  That  the  opportunities  for  the  spread  of 
Unitarian  truth,  which  are  daily  presenting  themselves, 
call  for  new  exertions  on  the  part  of  its  friends?  and  a 
great  increase  of  the  number  of  it3  teachers. 

Rev.  Mr  Ware  of  Boston  introduced  the  following  res¬ 
olution,  with  a  few  remarks  on  its  object.  Dr  Tuckerman 
of  Boston,  by  whom  it  was  seconded,  spoke  of  the  expe¬ 
rience  he  had  had  in  his  mission,  especially  of  the  evi¬ 
dence  afforded  him  in  many  instances,  that  Unitarian 
Christianity  is  adequate  to  the  spiritual  wants  of  the 
distressed,  the  sick,  and  the  bereaved  in  the  poorer  classes 
of  society — The  resolution  was  accepted — viz. 

Resolved ,  That  this  Association  regard  with  peculiar 
interest,  the  establishment  by  the  Executive  Committee,  of 
a  domestic  mission  in  the  city  of  Boston,  and  the  encou¬ 
ragement  it  has  received. 

The  next  resolution  was  offered  by  Rev.  Mr  Palfrey  of 
Boston,  who  addressed  the  meeting  at  some  length.  He 
spoke  of  the  situation  and  character  of  the  English  Uni¬ 
tarians,  and,  while  he  lamented  their  political  disabilities, 
and  the  obloquy  to  which  they  had  been  subjected  in  this 


24 


country  as  well  as  in  Great  Britain,  bore  his  decided  tes¬ 
timony  in  their  favor  both  as  scholars  and  Christians. 
He  also  gave  a  sketch  of  the  condition  in  which  he  found 
Unitarianism  on  the  continent  of  Europe — in  France, 
Transylvania,  and  Holland,  and  particularly  in  Geneva, 
where  he  visited  to  the  place  of  Servetus’  death  in  com¬ 
pany  with  a  Unitarian  successor  to  Calvin  in  the  theological 
chair — a  remarkable  proof,  he  observed,  of  the  efficacy 
of  creeds  and  fagots  in  preventing  the  progress  of  opin¬ 
ion.  The  resolution  was  supported  by  Mr  Bond  of  Bos¬ 
ton,  and  was  accepted — viz. 

Resolved ,  That  this  Association  reciprocate  the  ex¬ 
pressions  of  sympathy  and  regard  they  have  received  from 
the  British  and  Foreign  Unitarian  Association,  and  re¬ 
joice  in  the  exertions  of  the  friends  of  truth  in  England, 
and  on  the  continent  of  Europe. 

Judge  Story  of  Salem,  in  proposing  the  fourth  resolu¬ 
tion  noticed  the  lateness  of  the  hour,  which  made  him 
unwilling  to  detain  the  meeting,  though  he  felt  the  subject 
to  be  one  of  great  interest  and  importance.  He  ex¬ 
pressed  many  of  his  views,  especially  on  the  purpose  of 
the  framers  of  our  state  constitution,  and  on  the  argu¬ 
ment  furnished  by  law  and  usage,  in  regard  to  the  clause 
concerning  the  support  of  religion.  In  allusion  to  re¬ 
cent  attempts  to  give  this  clause  a  novel  construction,  and 
with  reference  to  the  great  question  of  religious  liberty, 
he  spoke  with  force  and  eloquence — and  it  was  only  re¬ 
gretted  by  those  who  heard  him,  that  he  could  not  in  an 
earlier  part  of  the  evening,  have  uttered  his  sentiments 
with  yet  greater  fulness.  The  resolution,  seconded  by 
Rev.  Mr  Walker  of  Charlestown,  was  accepted — viz. 


25 


Resolved ,  That  the  present  time  particularly  demands 
the  faithful  services  of  the  friends  of  religious  liberty. 

The  following  resolution  was  then  offered  by  Judge 
Story,  was  seconded  and  passed — viz. 

Resolved ,  That  the  thanks  of  the  Association  be  re¬ 
turned  to  the  Executive  Committee  for  their  able  and 
interesting  Report,  and  that  they  be  requested  to  have  it 
printed  and  distributed  as  a  tract. 

It  bein£  too  late  for  the  further  transaction  of  business. 
Rev.  Mr  Walker  moved,  That  when  this  meeting  adjourn, 
it  adjourn  to  meet  in  the  Vestry  of  the  Chauncy  Place 
Church  at  8  o’clock  tomorrow  morning — this  motion  was 
seconded  and  accepted. 

Rev.  Mr  Ware  proposed  that  before  the  meeting  sepa¬ 
rate,  the  “  Dismission  Hymn”  be  sung.  The  propo¬ 
sal  wras  received  with  approbation  ;  and  after  singing,  at 
half  past  10  o’clock,  an  adjournment  was  moved  and 
voted. 

Wednesday,  May  30. — The  adjourned  meeting  was 
held  in  Chauncy  Place  Vestry  at  8  A.  M.  The  first  bu¬ 
siness  w^as  the  choice  of  officers.  Rev.  Mr  Young  and 
Mr  G.  F.  Thayer  were  chosen  to  collect  votes. 

Rev.  Aaron  Bancroft,  D.  D.  was  unanimously  re¬ 
elected  President. 

The  following  gentlemen  who  were  elected  last  year, 
and  had  signified  their  acceptance,  were  unanimously 
rechosen  Vice  Presidents. 

Hon.  Joseph  Story,  Hon.  Joseph  Lyman, 

Hon.  Charles  H.  Atherton,  Hon.  Stephen  Longfellow, 
Henry  Wheaton,  Esq.  Rev.  James  Taylor, 

Henry  Payson,  Esq.  Hon.  William  Cranch, 

Martin  L.  Hurlbut,  Esq.  Hon.  Samuel  S.  Wilde. 

Hon.  Samuel  Hoar,  Jr. 

Rev.  Henry  Ware,  Jr.  Rev.  James  Walker,  and 

3 


26 


Rev.  Samuel  Barrett,  were  unanimously  rechosen  Di¬ 
rectors,  and  Rev.  Ezra  S.  Gannett,  Secretary. 

It  being  stated  that  Lewis  Tappan,  Esq.  declined  a 
reelection,  it  was 

Voted,  That  thanks  be  returned  to  the  late  Treasurer 
for  his  faithful  and  zealous  services.  v 

*Samuel  Dorr,  Esq.  was  unanimously  chosen  Treasurer. 

On  motion  of  Rev.  H.  Ware,  jr.  it  was 

Voted,  That  two  messengers  be  appointed  by  this  As¬ 
sociation  to  meet  the  United  States  Christian  Confer¬ 
ence  which  is  to  be  held  at  West  Bloomfield,  N.  Y.  in 
September  next. 

It  was  afterwards 

Voted,  That  the  appointment  of  these  messengers  be 
made  by  the  Executive  Committee. 

On  motion  of  Mr  Gideon  F.  Thayer,  it  was 

Voted,  That  it  is  expedient  that  the  Constitution  be  so 
far  amended,,  as  to  add  to  the  Executive  Committee,  a 
Secretary  of  Foreign  Correspondence. 

(According  to  the  9th  article  of  the  Constitution  this 
subject  will  be  considered  at  the  next  annual  meeting, 
when  a  definitive  vote  will  be  taken  upon  the  proposed 
amendment.) 

On  motion  of  Rev.  H.  Ware,  jr.  it  was 

Voted,  That  the  Executive  Committee  be  directed  to 
make  arrangements,  bv  which  the  future  meetings  of  the 
Association  for  the  transaction  of  business,  may  be  held 
at  a  more  convenient  hour. 

As  no  other  business  remained  for  disposal,  the  meet¬ 
ing,  on  motion  of  Rev.  Dr  Ripley  of  Concord, 

Adjourned  sine  die. 

*Mr  Dorr  having  declined  this  appointment,  the  Executive  Com¬ 
mittee,  according  to  the  8th  article  of  the  Constitution,  elected 
Henry  Rice,  Esq.  who  has  accepted  the  office. 


27 


9 


The  Executive  Committee  of  the  American  Unitarian 
Association,  as  they  send  abroad  their  Second  Annual 
Report,  would  avail  themselves  of  this  opportunity  of 
,  communicating  with  their  friends,  and  offer  one  or  two 
suggestions,  which  they  deem  important.  An  in¬ 
stitution,  whose  purpose  is  to  improve  public  opin¬ 
ion  and  feeling  through  the  methods  adopted  by  us, 
is  dependent  on  pecuniary  patronage.  Even  if  manu¬ 
scripts  be  provided,  they  cannot  be  printed  without  the 
means  of  payment.  The  committee  feel,  at  this  time 
particularly,  the  need  of  more  prompt  aid  from  those  who 
have  encouraged  them  to  prosecute  their  work.  Their 
treasury  is  nearly  empty  in  consequence  of  the  delay  of 
members  in  paying  their  annual  subscription.  In  the 
preceding  Report  it  has  been  stated  that  nearly  fifteen 
hundred  dollars  are  due  from  annual  subscribers.  The 
immediate  payment  of  this  amount  would  give  an  effi¬ 
ciency  to  the  operations  of  the  committee,  which  they 
cannot  else  have.  The  difficulty  of  collecting  small  sums, 
scattered  over  the  country  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  in¬ 
convenience  of  transmitting  them  on  the  other,  show  the 
advantage  of  auxiliary  associations.  These  are  almost 
necessary  to  that  activity  and  energy  on  which  success 
in  our  work  as  in  every  other  depends.  If  only  five  or 
six  persons  unite  themselves  for  a  particular  object,  they 
become  a  centre  of  attraction  to  others,  their  own  interest 
is  quickened,  and  they  form  a  point  of  observation  which 
is  kept  distinctly  in  view  by  their  friends  at  a  distance. 
The  committee  do  therefore  urge  the  formation  of  aux¬ 
iliaries.  They  would  respectfully  request  every  clergy¬ 
man  who  is  disposed  to  aid  their  efforts,  to  invite  indi¬ 
viduals  of  his  parish  to*  consult  on  the  measure,  and  to 


28 


adopt  the  course  recommended  in  the  remarks  sub¬ 
joined  to  the  last  year’s  Report,  which  are  reprinted 
in  the  appendix.  In  places  destitute  of  a  pastor,  this 
method  might  be  adopted  by  any  individual. 

The  necessity  of  early  and  regular  communication 
from  the  branches  to  the  Parent  Society,  is  obvious.  The 
existence  of  auxiliaries  will  not  alone  supply  our  wants. 
They  must  contribute  promptly,  according  to  their 
ability.  The  labor  of  collecting  and  transmitting  the 
annual  subscriptions  must,  as  has  been  suggested,  lie  on 
the  officers  of  the  auxiliary  associations,  but  this  labor  in 
each  case  will  be  very  light.  It  has  been  found  conve¬ 
nient  in  some  places  to  establish  a  depository  for  the 
town  or  parish,  under  the  care  of  an  agent,  who  shall 
transact  all  the  financial  concerns  of  the  association  and 
be  remunerated  for  any  expense  that  he  may  incur.  This 
plan  would  probably  be  useful  in  every  place. 

A  misunderstanding  has  prevailed  of  the  privileges  al¬ 
lowed  to  subscribers.  The  committee  have  never  pledged 
themselves  to  publish  any  number  of  tracts  annually  ; 
they  have  expressed  a  hope,  which  they  do  not  yet  relin¬ 
quish,  that  they  may  print  two  every  month.  But  this 
will  depend  on  the  aid  they  receive  from  writers  and 
subscribers.  They  ask  only  for  the  means  of  gratifying 
a  demand  which  it  pains  them  to  leave  unanswered. 
They  are  anxious  to  be  the  almoners  of  others’  intellectual 
bounty,  and  to  return  the  pecuniary  contributions  of  their 
friends  in  the  fruits  of  thought  and  experience.  They 
also  hope  that  individual  liberality  will  not  be  stinted  by 
a  regard  to  personal  compensation.  The  good  we  would 
effect  is  not  confined  to  the  members  of  our  association. 
We  wish  to  send  tracts  and  missionaries  to  those  who 
are  willing  to  read  and  hear,  that  they  may  be  convinced 


29 


and  be  persuaded  to  cooperate  with  us.  If  a  member 
pay  one  dollar,  and  receive  tracts  to  this  value,  he  con¬ 
tributes  nothing  to  the  diffusion  of  correct  sentiments. 
The  committee  trust  in  the  good  sense,  and  generosity 
of  the  friends  of  this  institution,  who  must  perceive  the 
injustice  of  demanding  more  than  can,  under  present  cir¬ 
cumstances,  be  granted  or  accomplished,  and  who  will 
also  see  that  a  favorable  change  in  these  circumstances 
depends  not  solely  on  the  directors.  It  cannot  be  expected 
that  tracts  shall  be  furnished  in  anticipation  of  all  receipts, 
or  that  the  committee  should  make  themselves  responsi¬ 
ble  to  an  indefinite  extent.  In  consequence  of  some  in¬ 
quiries  founded  on  mistake,  the  following  vote  was  passed 
and  published  in  the  Christian  Register  of  September 
23,  1826. 

“  Resolved,  that  every  member  of  the  Association  is 
entitled  to  one  copy  of  every  tract,  published  by  the  As¬ 
sociation  during  the  year  for  which  his  subscription  is 
entered.” 

In  compliance  with  the  above  vote  members  may  al¬ 
ways  obtain  their  tracts  by  personal  application,  but  the 
committee  would  not  be  justified  in  defraying  the  expense 
of  distribution.  Wherever  a  local  depository  is  establish¬ 
ed,  the  tracts  will  be  regularly  sent  by  the  general  agents, 
if  desired,  at  the  expense  of  the  auxiliary.  Individual 
subscribers  may  receive  theirs  from  the  nearest  deposi¬ 
tory. 

The  committee  cherish  the  hope,  that  before  another 
anniversary  they  shall  number  many  new  branches  and 
many  more  life  members.  A  laudable  example  has  been 
set  by  ladies  and  by  societies  ;  may  it  be  generally  followed. 
Our  Association,  is  established  and  its  existence  widely 
known.  The  doubts  entertained  by  some  of  its  practi- 

3* 


cability  have  been  met  by  a  successful  experiment,  the 
name  which  it  assumed  has  been  raised  into  favor,  its 
operations  are  now  contemplated  with  interest  by  the 
religious  public,  it  only  needs  support.  This  is  earnest¬ 
ly  sought,  and  confidently  expected. 

The  accumulation  of  materials  for  a  history  of  Unita- 
rianism  and  of  religious  opinions  in  this  country,  is  an 
object  worthy  of  encouragement.  No  depository  of  facts 
and  documents  illustrating  this  subject  is  more  suitable 
than  the  bureau  of  this  American  Association.  A  com¬ 
mencement  has  been  made  of  such  a  collection,  and  the  Ex¬ 
ecutive  Committee  solicit  books,  pamphlets,  manuscripts, 
or  papers  of  any  kind  which  their  friends  will  place  in 
their  care.  Individuals  will  afford  them  aid  by  furnishing 
narratives  of  former  years,  or  information  of  events  of 
which  they  have  had  personal  knowledge.  Works  in  vin¬ 
dication  of  Unitarian  Christianity  will  be. received,  and 
employed  to  form  a  library  always  open  to  the  members 
of  the  Association. 


APPENDIX 


EXTRACTS  FROM  THE  FIRST  ANNUAL  REPORT. 

“  This  Association  was  organized  under  some  disad¬ 
vantages.  Its  plan  was  suggested  by  a  few  gentlemen 
on  the  evening  preceding  the  last  election,  at  too  late  an 
hour  to  secure  the  advice  and  cooperation  of  many  of 
those  whose  judgment  would  be  useful  in  forming,  and 
whose  influence  would  be  important  in  strengthening 
such  a  society.  The  time  for  a  more  general  and  effec¬ 
tive  concert  seemed,  however,  to  have  arrived  ;  and  the 
presence  of  Unitarians  from  distant  towns,  who  an¬ 
nually  assemble  in  this  city,  showed  the  necessity  of  an 
immediate  effort  for  the  accomplishment  of  this  object. 
It  would  have  been  impossible  to  ascertain  in  a  few 
hours  the  sentiments  of  the  great  body  of  Unitarian 
Christians,  in  relation  to  the  measures,  which  they 
should  adopt  for  the  diffusion  of  pure  religion.  From 
these  circumstances,  the  meeting  at  which  the  project 
of  this  Association  was  discussed,  and  its  constitution 
adopted,  was  necessarily  small.  Notice  could  only  be 
given  at  the  close  of  the  Berry  Street  Conference  on 
Wednesday  morning,  that  such  a  meeting  would  be  held 
in  the  afternoon.  At  that  meeting,  it  was  unanimously 
voted,  that  it  is  expedient  to  form  a  society  to  be  called 
the  American  Unitarian  Association.  At  an  adjourned 
meeting,  held  the  next  morning,  a  constitution,  reported 
by  a  committee  appointed  for  the  purpose,  was  accepted, 
and  the  officers  required  by  the  constitution  were  elected. 
This  brief  statement  will  explain  the  fact,  that  the  exist¬ 
ence  of  this  society  was  unknown  to  most  Unitarians  in 
this  city  and  commonwealth,  until  some  weeks  after  its 
organization  ;  and  will  also  show  under  what  doubtful 
prospects  of  support  it  was  commenced.” 

“  The  Committee  have  been  gratified  by  the  sympathy 


32 


expressed  for  them  in  the  prosecution  of  their  duties  by 
Unitarians  near  and  at  a  distance.  They  have  been  fa¬ 
vored  with  letters  from  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Ver¬ 
mont,  Connecticut,  Rhode  Island,  from  all  sections  of 
this  state,  from  the  city  of  New  York,  and  from  the 
western  part  of  the  state  of  New  York,  from  Philadelphia, 
Harrisbuig,  Northumberland,  Pittsburg,  and  Meadville, 
in  Pennsylvania,  from  Maryland,  from  the  District  of 
Columbia,  from  South  Carolina,  from  Kentucky,  and 
from  Indiana.  In  all  these  letters  the  same  interest  is 
exhibited  in  the  efforts  which  the  Association  promises 
to  make  for  the  diffusion  of  pure  Christianity.  Many  of 
them  have  contained  interesting  accounts  of  the  state  of 
religion  in  different  places,  and  especially  correspondents 
have  furnished  the  Committee  with  ample  details  re¬ 
specting  the  history  and  condition- of  Unitarians  in  Penn¬ 
sylvania.  If  similar  accounts  could  be  obtained  from  all 
the  states  of  the  Union,  they  would  embody  an  amount  of 
knowledge,  that  is  now  much  wanted.  And  the  Com¬ 
mittee  avail  themselves  of  this  opportunity  to  remind 
Unitarians,  that  they  will  render  a  service  to  the  cause  of 
truth  by  communicating  facts  connected  with  the  progress 
and  present  state  of  Unitarian  Christianity.” 

“  While  the  Committee  congratulate  the  officers  and 
members  of  the  Association  on  the  degree  of  favor,  which 
has  been  shown  to  it,  they  mean  not  to  deny  that  objec¬ 
tions  have  been  started,  and  that  some  have  been  reluc¬ 
tant  to  add  their  names  to  the  list  of  its  supporters. 
They  have  labored  to  show  the  futility  of  these  objections, 
and  to  dissipate  the  fears  expressed  by  good  men,  and 
decided  Unitarians,  that  the  new  Society  might  be  a 
source  of  evil  rather  than  of  good,  of  division  rather  than 
of  harmony.  They  have  strenuously  opposed  the  opinion, 
that  the  object  of  its  founders  was  to  build  up  a  party,  to 
organize  an  opposition,  to  perpetuate  pride  and  bigotry. 
Had  they  believed  that  such  was  its  purpose,  or  such 
would  be  its  effect,  they  would  have  withdrawn  themselves 
from  any  connexion  with  so  hateful  a  thing.  They 
thought  otherwise,  and  experience  has  proved  that  they 
did  not  judge  wrongly.  They  have  witnessed  an  in- 


33 


creased  zeal  for  pure  and  undefiled  religion,  the  religion 
not  of  this  man  nor  that  party,  but  of  Jesus  Christ,  our 
Master  and  Redeemer,  brought  into  action,  if  it  were 
not  inspired,  by  the  influence  of  this  Association.  They 
have  heard  words  of  congratulation,  but  none  of  bitter- 
ness ;  and  they  devoutly  believe,  that  this  Society  is 
meant  in  the  providence  of  God  to  be  instrumental  in 
diffusing  the  truths  and  the  spirit  of  that  gospel,  for 
which  his  Son  was  sent,  for  which  he  toiled  and  suffered, 
and  to  establish  which  he  poured  out  his  blood.  In  the 
words  of  the  Circular,  which  they  have  already  quoted, 
“  they  care  not  for  adding  to  the  number  of  those,  who' 
merely  call  themselves  Unitarians ;  but  their  object  is  to 
increase  the  number  of  those,  who  are  Christians  from 
examination  and  conviction  ;  the  number  of  consistent 
believers,  whose  lives  comport  with  their  principles ;  the 
number  of  those,  who  feel  the  influence  and  power  of  the 
precepts  of  Jesus  Christ.’  In  this  cause,  the  cause  of 
man’s  highest  interest,  the  cause  of  universal  love,  they 
believe  this  Association  is  willing  to  employ  ail  its  ener¬ 
gies  and  resources ;  and  commending  it  to  the  favor  of 
our  Father  in  heaven,  for  whose  glory  they  humbly  trust 
it  was  established,  they  feel  a  confidence,  which  much 
disappointment  alone  can  destroy,  that  it  will  be  a  bless¬ 
ing  to  future  generations.  It  will,  they  hope,  scatter  the 
seeds  of  spiritual  knowledge,  which  shall  spring  up  in 
usefulness  on  earth,  and  shall  yield  a  harvest  of  ever¬ 
lasting  glory.” 

The  following  remarks  were  appended  to  the  First 
Report. 

“  It  will  have  been  seen  by  the  reader,  that  it  was 
recommended  at  the  annual  meeting,  4  that  as  far  as 
practicable,  auxiliaries  be  formed  to  the  Association  in 
every  Unitarian  congregation.’  The  Executive  Com¬ 
mittee  have  prepared  some  articles  of  association  for  such 
auxiliaries,  which  are  annexed.  They  merely  propose 
such  a  Constitution,  as  a  convenient  bond  of  union,  and 
as  calculated  to  give  simplicity  and  uniformity,  if  it 
should  be  generally  adopted,  to  the  arrangements  of  the 


Association.  According  to  the  plan  here  offered,  the 
auxiliaries  are  composed  of  subscribers  to  the  General 
Association,  which  is  thought  by  the  Committee  prefera¬ 
ble  to  the  usual  method  of  belonging  to  the  parent  insti¬ 
tution  only  indirectly,  and  in  consequence  of  a  connexion 
with  the  auxiliary.  It  is  proper  however  to  state,  for 
those  who  may  adopt  the  latter  course,  that  by  a  vote  of 
the  Executive  Committee,  passed  some  months  since,  no 
association  can  be  acknowledged  as  auxiliary,  to  which 
.  the  terms  of  subscription  are  less  than  those  lixed  in  the 
Constitution  of  the  General  Association.  The  propriety 
of  this  rule  must  be  obvious  to  any  one,  especially  if 
another  vote  of  the  Committee  be  considered,  by  which 
every  member  is  entitled  to  a  copy  of  every  tract  pub¬ 
lished  by  the  Association.  Tracts  are  also  sold  to  agents 
and  to  auxiliary  associations,  at  a  large  discount.  To 
these  two  votes  the  4th  article  of  the  annexed  Constitu¬ 
tion  refers.  The  purpose  of  these  auxiliary  associations 
is  two  fold.  They  will  be  a  means  of  increasing  and 
perpetuating  the  interest  felt  in  the  American  Unitarian 
Association,  and  will  present  the  most  effectual  method 
of  securing  for  it  friends,  funds  and  intelligence,  from 
every  part  of  the  country.  With  this  \iew  it  is  required 
that  an  annual  report  be  made  from  each  branch  to  the 
parent  society,  the  directors  of  which  will  thus  be  made 
acquainted  with  the  religious  condition  of  different  sec¬ 
tions,  and  be  enabled  to  issue  such  publications,  and 
make  such  appropriations,  as  shall  best  accomplish  the 
ends  of  the  Association.  It  is  therefore  hoped,  that  the 
annual  reports  of  the  auxiliaries  will  contain  such  state¬ 
ments,  as  may  assist  the  Executive  Committee  in  their 
duties.  The  chief  good,  however,  expected  from  such 
associations,  is  the  increase  of  social  and  practical  reli¬ 
gion  among  their  members.  The  frequent  meeting  of 
those,  who  shall  assemble  for  religious  purposes,  to  advise 
and  assist  one  another  in  the  support  of  religious  chari¬ 
ties,  it  is  thought,  must  be  favorable  to  personal  charac¬ 
ter,  and  must  increase  that  sympathy  and  cooperation, 
which  are  among  the  chief  objects  of  the  Unitarian  As¬ 
sociation, ’’ 


35 


We,  the  Subscribers,  desirous  to  aid  the  operations  of 
the  American  Unitarian  Association,  do  hereby  associate 
ourselves  for  that  purpose,  and  agree  to  the  following 
articles  by  way  of 

CONSTITUTION. 

1.  This  Association  shall  be  “  The  Association 

of  Auxiliary  to  the  American  Unitarian 

Association.” 

2.  The  objects  of  this  Association  shall  be,  in  genera], 
those  of  the  American  Unitarian  Association,  namely, 
“  to  diffuse  the  knowledge  and  promote  the  interests  of 
pure  Christianity.” 

3.  This  Association  shall  be  composed  of  members  of 
the  American  Unitarian  Association  ;  i.  e,  of  persons  who 
have  each  contributed  $30  as  a  life  subscription,  or  who 
pay  at  least  $1  a  year,  to  that  Association. 

4.  A  depository  for  tracts  shall  be  appointed  by  this 
Association,  at  which  each  member,  besides  receiving 
gratis  one  copy  of  all  the  tracts  of  the  American  Unita¬ 
rian  Association,  shall  be  allowed  to  purchase  any  num¬ 
ber  of  them  for  distribution,  at  per  cent  discount. 

5.  The  business  of  this  Association  shall  be  conducted 
by  an  agent,  or  by  a  committee,  consisting  of  mem¬ 
bers,  who  shall  superintend  the  depository,  correspond 
with  the  executive  committee  of  the  General  Association, 
pay  over  to  the  Treasurer  thereof  the  monies  due,  and 
make  to  the  Secretary  a  yearly  report  of  its  doings. 


SUBSCRIBERS*  NAMES.  |  LIFE  SUB. 


ANN.  SUB, 


36 


In  the  First  Annual  Report  it  was  stated  that  a  meet¬ 
ing  of  gentlemen  friendly  to  the  Association  was  held  in 
Boston  in  April,  1826.  At  that  meeting  a  committee 
was  appointed  to  prepare  a  circular,  from  which  the  fol¬ 
lowing  extracts  are  taken. 

“  The  want  of  union  among  Christians  of  our  denom- 

o 

ination,  is  felt  to  be  a  great  evil  by  those,  who  have  di¬ 
rected  their  attention  to  this  subject.  Living  in  an  age 
of  unusual  religious  excitement,  surrounded  by  numerous 
sects,  ail  of  which  are  zealously  employed  in  dissemina¬ 
ting  their  peculiar  tenets,  we  should  be  wanting  in  duty 
to  ourselves,  and  be  doing  injustice  to  the  doctrines  we 
profess,  if  we  should  allow  them  to  fail  in  exercising  their 
due  influence,  for  the  want  of  a  corresponding  zeal  and 
interest.  Unitarians  are  often  charged  with  lukewarm¬ 
ness  and  indifference  to  the  cause  of  religion.  We  will 
not  undertake  to  say  how  far  this  charge  is  well  founded ; 
but  we  will  say  that  much  of  it  is  rather  apparent  than 
real,  and  is  owing  to  a  want  of  concert  among  ourselves. 
Our  exertions  have  not  been  apparent,  because  insula¬ 
ted  ;  and  the  contributions  of  many  of  our  friends  have 
been  thrown  into  the  treasuries  of  other  denominations 
of  Christians,  from  the  want  of  some  proper  objects 
among  ourselves,  upon  which  they  could  be  bestowTed. 
We  feel  confident,  that  there  are  among  us  men*of  zeal 
and  energy,  who  are  both  willing  and  able  to  exert 
themselves  in  the  cause  of  religion  ;  and  that  others,  who 
are  now  indifferent  to  the  subject,  might  by  sympathy 
and  encouragement  be  excited  to  similar  exertions.” 

“  The  great  end  of  this  Association  is  the  promotion 
of  pure  morals  and  practical  piety.  We  value  our  doc¬ 
trines  only  so  far  as  they  evidently  are  the  revelation  of 
the  will  and  character  of  God,  and  so  far  as  they  tend  to 
improve  the  religious,  moral,  and  intellectual  condition 
of  mankind.  Believing  that  from  their  simple,  sublime, 
and  elevating  character,  they  are  peculiarly  adapted  to 
the  wants  of  all  conditions  of  mankind,  to  the  ignorant 
and  simple,  as  well  as  the  learned  and  gifted  ;  believing 
too,  that  they  are  more  eminently  calculated  than  any 


other  views  of  Christianity  to  warm  the  heart,  to  interest, 
elevate  and  purify  the  feelings,  and  to  develope  all  the 
faculties  of  the  mind,  we  are  desirous  that  they  be  known 
and  understood  and  felt  by  every  individual  in  our  com¬ 
munity.” 

“  Whilst  the  friends  of  this  institution  would  endeavor 
to  establish  correct  principles  and  awaken  a  deep  reli¬ 
gious  feeling  in  our  own  churches  and  community ;  they 
would  also  diffuse  abroad  the  knowledge  and  influence  of 
the  gospel  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour.  For  this  end,  it  is 
their  intention,  so  far  as  their  funds  will  admit  of  it,  to 
assist  destitute  churches  in  the  support  of public  worship, 
and  to  send  missionaries  to  those  parts  of  our  country, 
where  they  may  be  particularly  wanted.  This  is  a  sub¬ 
ject,  in  relation  to  which  serious  and  reflecting  minds 
cannot  doubt  that  there  are  solemn  and  important  duties 
to  perform.  If  we  regard  the  gospel  as  a  blessing,  if  we 
have  imbibed  any  of  its  spirit,  if  we  have  felt  any  of  that 
charity,  which  forms  so  essential  a  feature  in  the  chris- 
-  tian  character  ;  that  charity,  which  confines  itself  to  no 
limits,  but  which  is  as  boundless  as  the  universe,  which, 
beginning  at  home,  extends  itself  to  all  conditions  of  men, 
to  all  orders  of  moral  beings  ;  that  charity,  which  limits 
itself  not  to  the  relief  of  temporal  wants  and  sufferings, 
and  the  promotion  of  temporal  happiness,  but  extending 
itself  beyond  this  world,  points  out  the  only  way  and 
means  which  lead  to  eternal  peace  and  happiness  and 
joy  ;  if  we  have  imbibed  this  spirit,  and,  at  the  same  time 
feel,  that  the  gospel  is  the  richest,  the  most  invaluable 
blessing,  which  God  has  bestowed  on  us,  then  there  can^, 
be  no  question  as  to  our  duty. 

Ci  Moreover,  if  we  are  convinced,  that  God  has  shed 
new  light  into  our  minds,  in  relation  to  his  will  and  char¬ 
acter,  we  are  bound  in  gratitude  to  Him  to  exert  our¬ 
selves  in  its  diffusion.  Let  it  not  be  said,  that  if  the 
doctrines  we  profess  are  correct,  they  will  certainly  pre¬ 
vail,  and  that  they  need  no  assistance  from  us.  Truthv 
indeed,  is  mighty,  for  it  nerves  the  mind,  gives  to  it  con¬ 
fidence,  energy  and  power,  and  animates  it  to  great  and 
unwearied  exertions.  But  God  operates  through  second 

4 


3S 


causes,  and  having  sent  our  religion  into  the  world,  he 
left  it  to  man  to  support  and  disseminate  it.  It  was  in¬ 
troduced  into  the  world,  and  has  been  sustained  and 
transmitted  to  the  present  generation,  through  much 
labor  and  persecution  and  suffering.  But  the  great  work 
is  not  yet  completed,  much  remains  to  be  done  by  us. 
Let  it  not  be  said  of  us,  that  we  are  unworthy  of  the 
blessings  we  have  received ;  but  possessing  the  means 
and  opportunities  of  doing  much  towards  this  cause,  let 
us  so  use  them,  that  we  shall  finally  be  able  to  render  a 
good  account.’' 


The  auxiliary  Unitarian  Association  of  Philadelphia 
have  printed  a  small  tract,  containing  their  constitution 
wiui  some  valuable  introductory  remarks,  from  which  the 

following  extracts  are  taken. 

“  It  is  no  wonder  that  associations  of  men  for  the 
maintenance  of  particular  religious  views  should  be  re¬ 
garded  with  distrust,  when  it  is  considered  what  an  un¬ 
due  influence  they  have  oftentimes  exerted,  and  how 
directly  they  have  aided  in  retarding  the  progress  of  free 
inquiry.  Enormous  as  the  abuses  of  associations  have 
eeen,  the  very  existence  of  abuses  intimates  that  this 
mode  of  operation  (by  means  of  association)  is  capable 
of  a  lawful  and  important  use,  and  may  be  employed  with 
great  power  in  the  cause  of  truth.  We  thus  judge.  If 
men,  by  forming  themselves  into  societies  for  the  support 
W.  certain  doctrines,  have  succeeded  in  effecting  their 
object,  surely  by  the  same  means  the  great  doctrine  of 
religious  freedom  may  be  advanced.  Now  let  it  be  re¬ 
membered  that  to  establish  this  doctrine  more  firmly  in 
the  world  is  one  of  the  principal  objects  of  our  Associa¬ 
tion,  acknowledged  in  every  other  doctrine  and  opinion 
which  we  may  labor  to  extend.  It  is  our  aim  to  diffuse 
a  rationed  faith  ;  and  as  wTe  can  have  no  idea  of  such  a 
faith  that  does  not  involve  the  exercise  of  private  judg¬ 
ment — the  liberty  of  thought,  we  feel  that  vTe  cannot  in- 


39 


fringe  the  sacred  freedom  of  the  mind  without  defeating 
the  main  object  for  which  we  are  associated. 

“  Every  thing  conspires  to  impress  us  with  the  vast 
importance  of  diffusing  more  liberal  views  of  Christian 
truth.  The  erroneous  systems  of  religion  which  are 
prevalent,  their  effects  upon  private  happiness,  the  dis¬ 
honorable  ideas  which  they  help  to  cherish  of  the  divine 
character  and  government,  the  obstructions  that  •’they 
throw  in  the  way  of  religious  liberty  and  free  inquiry,  the 
utter  rejection  of  Christianity  by  intelligent  men  which 
they  have  produced  and  are  still  producing ;  while,  on 
the  other  hand,  the  immense  value  to  human  virtue  of 
correct  notions  of  God  and  duty,  the  peace  of  mind  which 
they  establish,  the  cheerful  light  which  they  throw  over 
our  existence  both  present  and  future,  and  above  all, 
their  inseparable  union  with  the  cause  of  the  most  per¬ 
fect  religious  freedom ;  all  these  things  impose  upon  us  a 
weight  of  obligation  that  cannot  well  be  estimated  Add 
to  this  our  peculiar  situation  as  the  inhabitants  of  a  land 
advancing  in  unexampled  prosperity,  and  consequently 
in  a  state  of  great  moral  danger,  depending  for  the  very 
existence  of  its  present  happy  form  of  society  upon  the 
strictest  and  most  uniform  observance  of  the  great  prin¬ 
ciples  of  morality  and  religion  ;  we  can  have  no  plainer 
duty  before  us  than  that  of  doing  all  that  in  us  lies  for  the 
diffusion  of  those  views  which  we  deem  the  most  condu¬ 
cive  to  the  best  welfare  of  our  fellow  men. 

“  In  our  circumstances  a  deficiency  of  earnest  Christian 
zeal  would  furnish  some  ground  for  an  inference  either 
against  our  cause,  or  against  those  engaged  in  it ;  either 
the  system  is  defective,  or  we  do  not  understand  and  ap¬ 
preciate  it.  But  God  forbid  that  we  should  have  em¬ 
braced  views  which  render  us  indifferent  to  the  most 
solemn  subjects,  and  careless  of  contributing  our  efforts 
to  the  advancement  of  human  happiness.  If  the  fault  is 
in  ourselves,  then  we  would  repair  our  error,  and  dis¬ 
pense  with  4  the  poor  and  beggarly  ’  principles  of  a 
worldly  wisdom,  such  as  measuring  ourselves  by  others 
and  being  satisfied  with  ourselves  because  we  do  as 
well  as  our  fellows,  and  resort  to  the  elevated  standard  of 
Christian  duty,  and  try  to  bring  our  characters  and  our 


40 


efforts  up  to  its  requisitions.  We  would  set  ourselves 
seriously  at  work  to  become  more  thoroughly  acquainted 
with  the  views  we  profess  to  hold,  and  then  our  feeling  in 
behalf  of  their  diffusion  will  become  more  distinct  and 
vivid.  At  the  same  time  we  would  embrace  every  oppor¬ 
tunity  of  extending  a  knowledge  of  our  faith.” 


MW. 


FIRST  QUARTERLY  REPORT  * 

OF  THE 

BOSTON  MISSIONARY. 

To  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 

American  Unitarian  Association. 
Gentlemen, 

I  entered  upon  the  duties  of  the  mission,  among 
the  poor  of  this  city,  to  which  you  appointed  me,  on  the 
5th  of  last  November ;  and  I  have  thought  it  to  be  pro¬ 
per,  in  this  service,  not  to  visit  in  any  family,  which  is 
visited  by  any  settled  minister  of  the  city  as  a  part  of  his 
flock. 

Within  the  last  three  months,  I  have  taken  fifty  fami¬ 
lies  into  my  pastoral  charge.  A  few  of  them  have  lived 
in  the  city  but  &ix,  or  twelve  months.  Some,  however, 
who  have  been  here  many  years,  and  others  who  were 
born  in  the  city,  are  kept  from  connexion  with  our  reli¬ 
gious  societies  by  their  poverty.  They  cannot  afford  to 
hire  seats  in  our  churches.  Some,  too,  by  the  frequency 
of  their  removals,  are  now  in  the  neighborhood  of  one, 
and  now  of  another,  of  the  churches  in  the  city,  on  whose 
services  they  occasionally  attend.  The  intellectual,  mo¬ 
ral,  and  religious  character  of  some  whom  I  visit,  is  very 
highly  respectable.  But  the  exposures  of  great  poverty 
are  very  affecting.  The  rooms  in  which  the  poor  live 

*  One  edition  of  this  Report  has  been  printed,  but  as  its  circulation 
was  confined  to  Boston,  and  the  whole  edition  is  distributed,  the 
Executive  Committee  have  directed  its  repuhlication. 


41 


are  often  as  cold  and  cheerless  as  can  well  be  imagined  ; 
and  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  clothes  and  food  sufficient 
for  their  comfort  is  very  great.  The  fire-places  of  these 
rooms  are  so  deep,  that  a  large  quantity  of  fuel  is  required 
to  procure  even  a  little  warmth  ;  and  with  all  the  aid  which 
is  obtained  from  the  city,  from  our  charitable  societies, 
from  benevolent  individuals,  and  from  the  streets,  much, 
very  much  is  endured  in  such  a  winter  as  the  present. 
Nor  is  it  as  easy  as  some  think  it  to  be,  for  all  to  find 
employment,  by  which  they  may  earn  enough  for  a  com¬ 
fortable  subsistence.  Hence,  too  often,  come  intemper¬ 
ance  and  dishonesty. 

My  attention  has  constantly  been  directed  to  the  chil¬ 
dren  of  the  families  in  which  I  visit;  and  I  have  done 
what  I  could  to  persuade  parents  faithfully  to  keep  their 
children  at  school.  Through  the  kindness  of  friends 
who  have  supplied  my  poors’  purse,  I  have  enabled  pa¬ 
rents  to  send  a  considerable  number  of  children  to  school, 
who  were  kept  at  home  by  the  want  of  shoes,  or  a  shawl. 
Of  the  result  of  my  mission,  I  am  not  prepared  to  say 
much  at  present.  I  have  cause,  however,  I  think,  to  be¬ 
lieve  that  no  preceding  three  months  of  my  life  have  been 
passed  more  usefully.  I  am  received  with  great  kindness 
and  affection  in  the  families  in  which  I  visit ;  and,  great 
as  are  the  vice  and  suffering  which  I  have  sometimes 
been  called  to  witness,  I  have  also  found  encouragements 
and  compensations  in  this  service,  which  will  be  among 
the  happiest  recollections  of  my  life. 

On  the  second  day  of  my  mission,  I  visited  a  widow, 
who  was  passing  rapidly  to  the  grave  in  consumption  ; 
and  I  ministered  to  her  till  the  27th  ultimo,  on  which  day 
she  died.  She  was  thirty-five  years  of  age,  and  had  three 
children.  I  particularize  her,  only  because  I  have  the 
pleasure  to  tell  you,  that  neither  in  my  reading,  nor  in  my 
ministry  of  twenty-five  years,  have  I  met  with  a  more  im¬ 
pressive  example  of  the  power,  which  the  simplest  princi¬ 
ples  of  our  religion,  when  they  have  full  possession  of  the 
heart,  may  exert  in  forming  a  perfectly  Christian  charac¬ 
ter.  Her  daily  sufferings  were  very  great.  But  the  ruling 
principle  in  her  soul  was,  love  to  God .  This  was  the 

4* 


I 


42 

source  of  all  her  immediate  comfort,  and  of  all  her  hope 
as  a  disciple  of  Christ.  “  O  Sir,”  she  had  repeatedly  said 
to  me,  “  I  would  not  exchange  my  sick  bed,  with  the  love 
of  God  which  I  feel  in  my  heart,  for  ten  thousand 
worlds.*’  “  I  can  glorify  God  in  my  greatest  sufferings, 
for  my  love  of  him  triumphs  over  all  my  distresses.5’ 
“  Adversity,”  she  said,  “  is  better  than  prosperity.  I 
once  lived  without  God  ;  but  I  have  passed  through  many 
scenes  of  trouble,  and  in  trouble  I  learned  to  know  and  to 
love  God.  The  hardest  trial  to  which  I  have  been  called 
has  been,  to  give  up  my  children.  But  now  that  I  have 
given  them  up  to  God,  I  look  upon  them  without  a  feel¬ 
ing  of  anxiety.”  Such,  indeed,  were  her  conceptions  of 
God’s  government,  and  of  the  purposes  of  suffering  ;  such 
her  love  of  God,  and  her  desire  to  possess  and  to  maintain 
the  spirit  of  Christ,  that  she  refused  opiates  by  which  her 
sufferings  might  have  been  alleviated  ;  preferring  to  en¬ 
dure  distress,  rather  than  have  her  mind  in  the  smallest 
degree  enfeebled  in  its  exercises,  or  checked  in  its  aspi¬ 
rations  after  a  nearer  acquaintance  with  Him,  who  was 
the  rock  of  her  confidence,  and  the  fountain  to  her  heart 
of  unutterable  blessedness.  In  all  my  visits  to  this  poor, 
but  intelligent,  most  amiable  and  pious  woman,  I  never 
heard  from  her  any  of  the  technical  language  of  a  secta¬ 
rian.  We  were  soon  friends;  and  I  shall  never  forget 
the  emotion  with  which,  a  short  time  before  she  expired, 
she  said,  “  I  bless  God,  who  has  sent  you  to  me,  to  en¬ 
lighten  my  way  through  the  dark  valley  of  the  shadow  of 
death.”  If  no  other  circumstance  to  cheer  and  strengthen 
me  should  occur  in  the  year  of  service  on  which  I  have 
entered,  than  the  privilege  of  ministering  to  this  poor 
widow,  I  shall  be  well  compensated  for  all  the  toils  to 
which  it  may  call  me. 

I  may  tell  you,  likewise,  that  on  the  27th  of  Novem¬ 
ber,  I  was  called  to  visit  a  man  who  was  confined  to  his 
bed  by  a  fever.  I  was  pleased  with  the  neatness  and  or¬ 
der  which  appeared  in  his  family.  But  this  man  had 
thought  little  of  religion,  and  had  lived  without  prayer. 
Before  he  left  his  sick  bed,  I  have  reason  to  think  that  he 
offered  the  prayer  of  penitence,  of  gratitude,  and  of  hope  ; 
and,  since  his  recovery,  he  has  uniformly  read  prayers  in 


43 


his  family,  morning  and  evening.  I  have  the  assurance 
of  this  man,  and  of  his  wife,  that  they  will  faithfully 
maintain  this  practice. 

On  sabbath  evening,  the  3d  of  December,  by  the  as¬ 
sistance  which  I  received  from  an  association  of  private 
Christians,  with  which  I  am  connected  in  the  city,  I  was 
enabled  to  begin  a  course  of  religious  services  in  the  up¬ 
per  chamber  of  the  circular  building  at  the  bottom  of 
Portland-street.  These  services  have  been  continued 
from  that  time  to  the  present  ;  and  as  a  lease  of  the  room 
is  taken  for  a  year,  I  shall  probably  continue  to  preach 
there  on  the  evenings  of  the  sabbath.  In  these  services, 
which  are  very  well  attended,  I  have  the  aid  of  several  of 
the  gentlemen  of  the  above  named  association.  A  Sun¬ 
day  School  was  begun  in  my  lecture  room  on  the  10th 
of  December  ;  and  the  children  of  many  families  which  I 
visit,  as  well  as  of  other  families,  are  very  faithfully  taught 
there. 

I  have  occasionally  preached  both  to  the  men,  and  to 
the  women,  in  the  House  of  Correction.  On  the  27th  of 
December,  I  visited  Colson,  who  was  executed  on  the 
1st  instant  for  piracy  and  murder.  From  the  time  of 
my  first  visit,  I  was  in  the  cell  with  him  every  day  ;  and 
this  too  is  a  part  of  my  service,  for  which  I  think  that  I 
have  much  cause  to  bless  God.  I  found  this  man  terribly 
profane  and  wicked.  But  I  soon  found  that  he  had  not 
lost  every  element  of  moral  feeling.  After  the  visits  of  a 
few  days,  I  observed  that  he  fell  upon  his  knees  when  I 
was  about  to  pray  with  him.  Some  time  after  this,  he 
began  to  respond  the  amen  at  the  close  of  our  prayers. 
And  at  last,  such  was  the  strength  of  his  emotions,  that 
while  I  was  praying  with  him,  he  has  broken  out  in  an 
importunity  of  supplication,  the  most  heart-rending  which 
I  have  ever  heard  from  the  lips  of  man.  In  addition  to 
my  daily  visits  to  his  cell,  I  passed  with  him  the  evening 
previous  to  his  death ;  and  I  was  with  him  on  the  next 
morning,  till  a  few  minutes  before  the  time  when  he  was 
led  out  to  be  executed.  I  had  said  and  done  all  that  I 
could  say  or  do,  to  affect,  and  to  direct  his  mind  ;  and 
feeling,  as  I  did,  that  my  duty  towards  him  wTas  done,  I 
left  him.  He  died,  as  I  am  told,  in  the  manner  in  which 


44 


I  hoped  that  he  would  die  ;  with  the  prayer  in  his  heart, 
and  upon  his  lips,  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner  ! 

You  ask  me,  how  much  time  and  exertion  my  services 
require  ?  I  answer,  that  I  give  to  them  all  my  time,  and 
all  my  strength.  Most  of  those  whom  I  now  visit  live  at 
the  north  part  of  the  town.  But  I  also  visit  families  in 
the  eastern,  western,  and  southern  sections  of  the  city ; 
and  not  a  week  passes,  in  which  I  am  not  extending  my 
charge.  Two  more  missionaries,  within  three  months, 
might  find  duty  enough  to  fill  up  every  waking  hour. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  add,  that  I  have  numbered  two 
hundred  and  eighty  three  visits  made  to  the  people  of 
my  charge.  Besides  these,  however,  I  have  been  into 
many  families,  of  whom  I  learned  that  they  regularly 
worship  with  some  one  of  our  religious  societies,  and 
whom,  therefore,  I  visited  no  more.  Nor  do  I  include  in 
this  number  of  visits,  those  which  I  made  to  Colson  in 
prison ;  nor  those  which  I  have  made  in  the  house  of 
correction. 

With  great  respect, 

JOSEPH  TUCKERMAN. 

Boston ,  February  5th ,  1827. 


ca— saa— g  rsarsn 


SECOND  quarterly  report  * 

OF  THE 

BOSTON  MISSIONARY. 

To  the  Executive  Committee  of  the 

American  Unitarian  Association. 

Gentlemen, 

Within  the  past  six  months  I  have  been  connected, 
as  a  Christian  minister,  with  more  than  a  hundred  fami- 

*  This  Report  has  not  before  been  printed. 


45 


lies.  Some  of  these  families  have  been  broken  up,  arid 
others  have  removed  where  I  have  not  been  able  to  find 
them.  But  I  have  still  more  than  ninety  in  my  charge  ; 
and,  within  the  last  three  months,  I  have  made  a  little 
over  five  hundred  visits. 

You  will  readily  believe,  that  it  would  be  very  easy  to 
give  you  a  long  report  of  what  I  have  seen  and  heard  in 
these  visits,  and  a  long  detail  of  what  I  have  said,  and 
hoped,  and  feared.  Should  I  ever  find  time  to  write  upon 
these  subjects,  I  may  perhaps  bring  them  in  some  form, 
before  the  public.  But  general  statements  are  all  that 
you  will  expect  from  me. 

Among  the  families  which  I  visit  as  their  pastor,  there 
are  some  which  not  only  are  not  poor,  but  whose  circum¬ 
stances,  in  respect  to  property,  are  very  comfortable  ;  and 
I  have  great  pleasure  in  telling  you,  that  they  cooperate 
with  me,  as  they  have  opportunity,  in  my  plans  and  efforts 
for  the  relief  and  improvement  of  the  poor.  I  am  con¬ 
nected  with  some  families  of  this  class,  which-  would  be 

a  blessing  to  any  community. 

Another  class  of  those  whom  I  visit  consists  of  fami¬ 
lies,  which,  from  various  causes,  have  not  been  able  to 
accumulate  property.  There  are  widows,  and  there  are 
some  husbands,  who  can  provide  for  their  families,  and 
who  maintain  order,  and  find  happiness,  in  their  families, 
while  they  all  have  health,  and  while  they  can  find  regu* 
lar  employment,  {lut  in  a  long  failure  of  the  employment 
on  which  they  depend  for  their  support,  or  in  a  long  sick¬ 
ness,  the  little  that  was  laid  up  is  exhausted ;  and,  if 
they  are  not  relieved  by  private  bounty,  they  must  incur 
debts,  which  weigh  down  the  spirits,  and  produce  feelings 
of  discouragement  and  misery,  for  relief  from  which  they 
resort  to  intemperance .  I  have  cause  to  believe  that, 
through  the  kindness  of  those  who  have  supplied  my 
poors’  purse,  I  have  been  enabled  to  do  important  good 
among  this  class  of  my  new  friends,  by  administering  to 
their  relief  in  the  time  when  relief  was  most  wanted. 
And  I  am  sure  that  this  is  a  charity,  on  which,  if  they 
witness  it,  angels  may  smile  with  heavenly  complacency. 
I  think  that  I  have  witnessed  aspirations  of  as  pure  a  grati® 
tude,  for  a  small  bestowment,  which,  however,  at  the  time 


46 


was  greatly  wanted,  as  often  ascends  to  heaven.  Even  a 
little  which  is  so  given,  by  saving  him  or  her  who  re¬ 
ceives  it  from  the  discouragements  of  debt,  may  save  them 
also  from  intemperance,  from  pauperism,  and  from  ruin. 

I  have  much  wished  to  do  something  for  the  recovery 
of  the  intemperate.  But  I  have  been  still  more  solicitous 
to  do  what  may  be  done,  to  save  those  from  intemper¬ 
ance,  who  are  constantly  exposed  to  it ;  and  of  whom 
indeed  we  may  well  marvel,  if  they  become  not  its  vic¬ 
tims.  I  wish  always  to  act  upon  the  principle,  that  hu¬ 
man  nature  is  never  to  be  given  up ;  that  there  is  no 
condition  of  the  vicious  so  desperate,  as  to  forbid  efforts 
for  their  recovery.  I  have  therefore  no  sympathy  with 
those  who  say  to  us,  “  let  the  confirmed  drunkard  perish.’5 
While  he  lives,  he  is  not  without  the  pale  of  God’s  mercy, 
for  it  is  this  mercy  that  sustains  him,  even  while  he  so 
wickedly  abuses  it.  But  I  believe  that  very  much  may 
be  done  by  frequent  intercourse,  by  faithful  conversation, 
and  by  well  selected  tracts,  to  restrain  from  this  deso¬ 
lating  sin.  In  this  department,  of  my  service,  I  have 
reason  to  hope  that  I  have  not  altogether  labored  in  vain. 

I  visit  in  a  few  very  vicious,  and  very  corrupted  fami¬ 
lies.  Whether  I  am  thus  doing  any  immediate  good,  is 
indeed  very  doubtful.  But  the  time  of  sickness,  or  of 
some  other  great  affliction,  may  come  to  them,  when  they 
may  be  in  a  condition  to  receive  impressions,  of  wThich 
they  are  now  unsusceptible ;  and  I  shall  be  well  repaid 
for  the  sacrifices  that  are  required  in  maintaining  an  ac¬ 
quaintance  with  them,  if  I  may  then  be  an  instrument  of 
bringing  them  to  repentance  and, to  God. 

I  have  spoken  of  the  frequency  of  the  removals  of  some 
whom  I  visit.  There  are  families  which,  I  believe,  are 
never  more  than  a  few  months  in  a  place.  They  are  com¬ 
pelled  to  remove  by  inability  to  pay  their  rent ;  and,  to  es¬ 
cape  from  the  little  debts  wThich  they  have  contracted  in  the 
neighborhood  in  which,  for  a  short  time,  they  have  been 
located.  They  go  to  no  church  ;  and  they  are  known  by' no 
minister,  unless  indeed  a  missionary  steps  in  to  visit  them. 
And  yet  these  are  not  always  very  vicious  families.  The 
husband  of  this  class,  or  the  widowed  mother,  or  the 
mother  who  is  forsaken  by  her  husband,  is  thriftless, 


47 


inefficient,  and  not  entirely  temperate ;  but  yet  not  con¬ 
firmed  in  any  of  the  grosser  vices.  Here,  then,  I  think 
the  service  of  a  missionary  to  be  greatly  useful.  He 
does  what  he  can  to  animate  and  encourage  these  parents 
to  better  efforts  than  they  have  yet  made  for  themselves, 
and  their  families.  He  takes  care  that  their  children 
are  kept  at  school.  He  gives  to  them  in  his  conversation, 
and  in  the  tracts  which  he  leaves  with  them,  all  the  reli¬ 
gious  instruction  they  receive.  Without  his  care,  they 
would  be  beyond  the  reach  of  any  of  the  direct  influen¬ 
ces  of  our  religion. 

Let  me  say  a  word  of  the  moral  exposures  of  the  poor, 
for  they  are  indeed  hardly  to  be  conceived  but  by  those 
who  are  intimately  acquainted  with  the  poor.  We  must 
go  into  the  rooms  in  which  they  live,  and  see  how  they 
live,  and  what  they  suffer  there,  to  feel  as  we  should  feel 
for  them,  and  to  realize  the  extent  and  the  strength  of 
their  claims  upon  us.  Take  the  case  of  a  mother,  whose 
intemperate  husband  is  daily  spending  his  small  earnings 
to  obtain  the  rum  which  he  drinks  daily  ;  who  is  herself 
working  like  a  slave,  when  she  can  get  work,  to  procure 
bread  for  her  children  ;  whose  ragged  children  are  not 
only  every  day  so  treated  by  their  father,  that  they  lose, 
as  far  as  children  can  lose,  all  affection  for  him,  but  who 
are  at  once  the  daily  witnesses  of  his  profaneness  and 
degradation,  and  who  are  even  daily  encouraged  by  him 
to  disobey  their  mother  ;  I  say,  what  are  you  to  look  for 
m  these  children,  but  that  they  will  be  as  vicious  and 
debased  as  their  father  1  I  can  take  you  from  house  to 
house  into  families  of  this  description.  Or,  suppose  the 
case  of  an  intemperate  mother,  or  where  both  parents  are 
intemperate.  Rum  is  here  the  chief  ingredient  of  break¬ 
fast,  of  dinner,  and  of  supper.  Is  it  wonderful,  then, 
that  there  should  be  not  a  few  among  us,  who  are  drunk¬ 
ards  at  the  age  of  14  or  15  years  ?  Or,  does  it  excite  any 
surprise,  that  children  who  are  reared  under  such  influ¬ 
ences,  will  not  go  to  school  ?  At  9  or  10  years  of  age 
they  are  wholly  beyond  parental  control.  Their  home  is 
in  the  streets ;  and  they  go  to  the  habitations  of  their 


parents,  only  to  obtain  a  supply  of  the  wants  which  they 
cannot  supply  elsewhere.  It  is  a  matter  of  course, there¬ 
fore,  that  they  should  not  only  be  intemperate,  but  pro¬ 
fane,  deceitful  and  dishonest.  No  plan  could  be  devised 
for  their  moral  ruin,  more  certain  in  its  results,  than  the 
very  manner  in  which  they  are  now  living.  Will  any 
one  say,  that  this  is  a  necessary  evil  ?  I  cannot  think  so. 
The  obligation  is  most  solemn  upon  those  to  whom 
God  has  given  the  means  of  rescuing  these  young  im¬ 
mortals  from  perdition,  to  attempt  at  least  what  may  be 
attempted  for  their  rescue.  These  children  are  now  in 
a  regular  course  of  training  for  the  House  of  Correction, 
and  for  the  State  Prison.  My  heart  has  ached  to  see  a 
mother,  and  to  hear  her  sobs  of  anguish,  at  the  House  of 
Correction,  while  she  was  visiting  her  son  there,  who  was 
only  14  years  old  ;  and  to  see  this  boy,  after  weeping 
for  a  few  moments  with  his  agonized  mother,  return  to 
be  a  companion  of  convicts,  with  five  or  six  of  whom  he 
must  be  shut  up  at  night  in  a  cell,  where  he  may  learn 
more  of  the  mysteries  of  iniquity  in  eight  nights,  than 
he  would  acquire  in  as  many  years  by  his  own  unaided 
experience.  Government  has  a  right  to  employ  any 
means  that  are  requisite  for  the  prevention  of  so  great  an 
evil ;  and  a  power  should  be  delegated  to  men  who  will 
faithfully  exercise  it,  of  taking  children  who  are  so  ex¬ 
posed  from  the  condition  in  which  they  now  are,  and  of 
placing  them,  as  far  as  may  be,  beyond  the  reach  of  the 
temptations,  which  otherwise  will  inevitably  prove  their 
destruction.  I  am  aware  that  the  difficulties  of  the  case 
are  great.  But  they  are  not  insuperable. — I  suggest  the 
subject,  only  because  I  wish  that  attention  may  be  di¬ 
rected  to  it. 

For  some  weeks  past,  either  on  Thursday  or  Saturday 
afternoon,  I  have  met  the  children  who  live  in  the  neigh¬ 
borhood  of  my  Lecture  Room,  to  pass  an  hour  there. 
The  time  so  passed  we  call  the  pleasant  hour .  It  is 
opened  and  closed  with  a  very  short  prayer,  and  religious 
instruction  is  one  of  the  objects  of  the  meeting.  But 
this  instruction  is  given  rather  incidentally,  than  directly. 

I  give  them  familiar  lectures  upon  subjects  of  natural 


49 


history  ;  and  I  begin  each  exercise  by  questions  respect¬ 
ing  the  preceding  lecture.  The  service  is  popular  among 
the  children  ;  and  1  hope  that  it  will  be  a  means  of  excit¬ 
ing  in  them  a  thirst  of  knowledge,  a  taste  at  once  for 
intellectual  and  moral  gratification,  and  an  early  rever¬ 
ence  and  love  of  Him,  of  whose  wisdom  and  goodness  I 
am  thus  enabled  to  furnish  them  with  so  many  testimo¬ 
nies  in  his  works. 

The  Sunday  evening  services  of  the  Lecture  Room 
are  continued,  and  the  room  is  uniformly  well  fdled  with 
attentive  hearers.  I  wish  that  it  were  possible  to  obtain  a 
permanent  free  lecture  room  in  the  section  of  the  city  in 
which  1  now  officiate  on  Sunday  evenings.  This  might 
be  done  at  a  small  cost,  compared  with  the  good  that 
might  be  looked  for  from  it.  Our  present  room  is  not 
large  enough  to  accommodate  all  who  are  disposed  to 
unite  with  us.  Besides,  some  aged  people  find  it  difficult, 
in  the  evening,  to  ascend  two  flights  of  stairs.  If  we 
could  obtain  a  cheap  building  as  a  permanent  place  of 
worship,  I  think  that  it  would  not  be  difficult  to  obtain 
a  supply  of  the  pulpit  half  of  each  Sunday,  as  wrell  as  for 
the  evening  service.  Is  there  no  one  among  us  who  is  at 
once  able,  and  who  so  loves  the  poor,  that  he  is  willing  to 
build  for  them  a  synagogue  ? 

Very  respectfully, 

JOSEPH  TUCKERMAN. 

Boston,  May  5,  1827. 


MISSION  OF  INQUIRY  TO  THE  WESTERN  STATES. 

On  pages  8  and  9  (of  the  Report)  mention  is  made  of 
Mr  Thomas’ journey  to  the  Western  States.  During  his 
absence  it  was  his  custom  to  write  letters  in  the  form  of  a 
journal,  which  were  at  different  times  sent  to  the  Secre¬ 
tary,  and  since  his  return  he  has  prepared  an  abstract  of 
the  intelligence  collected  by  him  on  his  tour.  From 
these  papers  the  following  extracts  are  made,  with  the 
design  of  showing  his  route,  and  the  opportunities  which 
he  enjoyed  for  accomplishing  the  objects  of  his  mission, 

5 


50 


and  also  of  communicating  to  the  members  of  the  Associ¬ 
ation  such  information  obtained  by  him  as  may  be  gene¬ 
rally  interesting;  many  personal  details  and  remarks  are 
omitted,  as  they  were  not  intended  for  publication.  Most 
of  the  extracts  now  given  have  already  been  printed  in 
the  Christian  Register,  but  it  seems  proper  to  offer  here 
a  general  view  of  Mr  Thomas’ labors.  This  is  all  which 
is  attempted  in  the  following  abridgment  of  his  journals. 

Mr  Thomas  left  Boston  April  10,  1826,  and  proceeded 
by  way  of  Providence  to  Newr  York  and  Philadelphia. 
These  places  are  too  well  known  to  need  any  notice. 
From  Philadelphia  he  took  the  stage  coach  to  Harrisburg, 
the  seat  of  government  of  Pennsylvania,  where  he  found 
the  Unitarians  exerting  themselves  to  build  a  church, 
which  they  have  since  completed.  He  says,  “  the  present 
members  of  the  society  are  very  zealous,  and  their  opin¬ 
ions  are  spreading  as  rapidly  as  could  be  expected.  It  is 
an  important  and  flourishing  place.”  He  next  visited 
Northumberland,  where  he  was  cordially  received  by 
Rev.  Mr  Kay,  of  whom  he  thus  speaks  : 

l<  I  know  of  nothing  but  pure  zeal,  and  the  grave  of 
Priestley,  that  can  induce  him  to  remain  here,  for  he  has 
talents  that  would  support  him  handsomely  in  New-Eng- 
land.  1  have  spent  much  time  in  the  family  of  Mr  Bel¬ 
las  of  Sunbury,  about  two  miles  from  N.  He  has  given 
you  so  particular  an  account  of  the  religious  affairs  of 
this  place  and  its  vicinity,  that  I  shall  only  add  a  descrip¬ 
tion  of  the  meeting  houses  in  Northumberland.  Of 
these  there  are  three ;  those  of  the  Methodists  and  Pres¬ 
byterians  are  one  story  wooden  buildings,  not  painted, 
and  I  should  judge  16  by  18  feet.  The  Unitarian  church 
is  a  two  story  brick  building,  25  or  30  feet  square.” 

Mr  Thomas  pursued  his  journey  to  Pittsburg,  where  he 
was  detained  by  sickness,  in  the  family  of  Mr  Swartz- 
welder,  the  minister  of  the  small  Unitarian  society  of 
that  place.  From  Pittsburg  (Penn.)  he  writes: 

“  Of  the  eastern  and  middle  parts  of  this  State  your  cor¬ 
respondents  have  given  you  more  information  than  I  can. 
Since  my  arrival  here  I  have  made  many  inquiries  con¬ 
cerning  the  religious  and  moral  condition  of  the  part  of 


51 


the  State  west  of  the  mountains.  I  find  from  Mr  Swartz- 
welder,  who  is  well  acquainted  with  this  part  of  the  State, 
having  travelled  eleven  years  as  an  itinerant  Methodist, 
and  who  is  now  excommunicated  for  his  Unitarian  views, 
that  there  is  much  more  attention  paid  to  religion  than 
in  the  middle  and  eastern  counties.  The  principal  de¬ 
nominations  this  side  of  the  mountains,  are  the  Presby¬ 
terians  and  Methodists.  There  are  a  few  Lutherans, 
Catholics,  and  Covenanters.  There  is  much  bigotry  and 
fanaticism,  together  with  a  general  regard  to  religion  and 
public  worship,  though  of  the  4  orthodox  ’  kind.  There 
are  two  or  three  churches  in  almost  every  town.  The 
Presbyterian  clergy  are  required  to  have  some  knowledge 
of  the  Latin  and  Greek  languages,  and  are  tolerably  well 
informed,  better  than  those  of  any  other  sect.  The  Gen¬ 
eral  Assembly  of  Presbyterians  throughout  the  States,  have 
passed  a  vote  for  the  establishment  of  a  Theological  Sem¬ 
inary  in  the  West.  In  Washington  and  Greene  counties, 
at  the  south  west  corner  of  the  State,  a  gentleman,  whose 
name  is  Campbell,  has  circulated  a  paper  of  a  liberal 
cast,  which  has  effected  something  towards  doing  away 
the  thick  cloud  of  bigotry  that  enveloped  them.  In  this 
State  there  are  no  public  schools  except  for  the  children 
of  paupers.  I  have  heard  of  but  one  missionary  or  agent 
in  these  parts  from  any  society  whatever  ;  and  he  is  a 
Methodist,  travelling  with  the  professed  object  of  exciting 
attention  to  religion  among  the  masonic  lodges  in  the 
West. — I  can  give  you  a  more  particular  account  of  this 
place.  Pittsburg  contains  about  1*2,000  inhabitants,  col¬ 
lected  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  It  is  a  universal  work¬ 
shop  for  mechanics  of  every  description.  Among  this 
heterogeneous  and  smoky  mass  of  population,  the  three 
principal  sects  are  the  Presbyterians,  Methodists,  and 
Catholics.  Of  the  three,  the  Presbyterians  are  the  most 
numerous.  They  have  two  churches,  and  number  from 
800  to  1000  members.  The  Methodists  have  two 
churches,  and  number  between  7  and  800  members.  The 
Catholics  have  one  church,  and  from  6  to  700  members. 
The  Episcopalians  have  one  church  and  from  3  to  400 
members  ;  I  understand  it  to  be  a  rich  society.  Besides 
these,  the  Unitarians,  Covenanters,  Seceders,  Lutherans 


52 


or  German  Reformed,  and  the  Unionists  have  each  one 
church.  These  societies  are  small,  and  I  have  not  been 
able  to  form  a  probable  estimate  of  their  numbers; 
with  the  exception  of  the  Unitarian  society.  The  Union¬ 
ists  are  a  few  malecontents  who  left  the  Presbyterians, 
Covenanters,  and  Seceders,  and  formed  a  society  by 
themselves.  The  Unitarian  society  consists  of  about  30 
members,  who  openly  avow  their  sentiments  and  meet 
regularly  on  Sundays.  They  have  an  average  congrega¬ 
tion  of  from  50  to  60  individuals.  The  members  live  in 
hope,  supporting  one  another  by  friendly  intercourse,  kind 
offices,  and  the  warmest  Christian  feelings,  unalloyed  by 
violence  towards  their  oppressors,  or  unprofitable  zeal 
among  themselves. — I  have  made  several  attempts  to  find 
a  bookseller  of  a  different  denomination,  who  would  take 
a  few  tracts  on  commission,  for  prejudices  are  here  so 
strong,  they  will  not  take  them  from  a  Unitarian,  but  I 
have  not  succeeded.  Even  printers  will  not  insert  com¬ 
munications  in  answer  to  direct  attacks  on  Unitarians. 
Our  friends  in  this  part  of  the  country  look  with  confi¬ 
dence  on  our  cause,  since  the  formation  of  the  Associa¬ 
tion,  and  the  introduction  of  system,  to  aid  our  efforts. 
Only  the  sight  of  one  from  the  East,  who  can  assure  them 
that  there  is  one  spot  where  Unitarianism  is  not  a  re¬ 
proach,  seems  to  increase  their  efforts  and  their  zeal. — 
As  to  obtaining  subscribers  to  the  Association,  I  find  they 
do  not  think  it  worth  while  to  subscribe  $1,  and  draw 
their  tracts  from  so  great  a  distance,  and  whatever  they 
can  expend  they  believe  will  be  better  employed  in  sup¬ 
porting  the  cause  immediately  around  them ;  so  that 
I  do  not  expect  to  get  a  single  subscriber,  unless  I  find 
some  isolated  Unitarian,  who  is  not  in  the  neighborhood 
of  any  society  constantly  requiring  his  assistance. — I 
intend  to  visit  the  shire  towns  of  the  counties  bordering 
on,  and  near  to  the  river  on  the  Ohio  side,  until  I  come  to 
Kentucky.  I  shall  then,  by  the  advice  of  all  our  friends 
here,  travel  on  horseback/' 

From  Pittsburg,  Mr  Thomas  passed,  as  he  intended, 
into  the  state  of  Ohio  ;  in  which  as  he  prosecuted  his 
journey,  he  made  the  following  remarks. 

“  Jefferson  county,  Ohio,  contains  about  19.000  in- 


53 


habitants.  The  Presbyterians  compose  one  third  ;  the 
Methodists  another;  and  1000  Quakers,  with  Episcopa¬ 
lians,  Seceders,  and  Christians,  another.  Of  the  three 
last  sects,  the  Episcopalians  are  the  most  numerous  ;  the 
Christians  are  few. — Steubenville,  the  county  town,  con¬ 
tains  about  2500  inhabitants.  There  is  here  a  large 
society  of  Presbyterians ;  they  have  a  respectable  young 
man,  from  Princeton  College,  for  their  minister.  Their 
number  I  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain.  The  Metho¬ 
dists,  in  1824,  returned,  as  members  of  their  society  in 
this  place,  285.  Their  increase  has  not  been  rapid. 
There  is  a  small,  but  respectable  society  of  Episcopalians ; 
besides  these,  there  are  Quakers,  a  few  Seceders,  and 
Christians.  The  society  of  Christians,  during  the  last 
year,  amounted  to  120;  they  have,  for  some  time  past, 
been  destitute  of  a  preacher,  and  their  numbers  have 
decreased.  I  was  here  introduced  to  a  young  man,  who 
has  come  from  the  centre  of  the  Christians  in  the  west 
part  of  this  state,  to  watch  over  and  foster  the  interests  of 
this  society.  He  gave  me  the  names  of  several  of  the 
elders  among  the  Christians  in  the  western  part  of  the 
state.  He  states  that  the  Christian  denomination  are 
universally  opposed  to  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  and 
that  many  of  them  carry  their  opinions  against  church 
government  to  the  extent,  that  they  are  unwilling  to  have 
any  kind  of  ministry  separate  from  the  gifted  members  of 
the  congregation.  This  is  the  point  on  which  they  are 
divided.  I  shall  however  be  able  to  give  a  better  account 
of  them  hereafter. — In  Harrison  county,  joining  Jeffer¬ 
son  on  the  west,  I  was  informed,  that  the  Presbyterians 
and  Methodists  are  so  nearly  equal,  that  religious  tenets 
form  the  point  of  contention  in  their  elections  ;  the  cast¬ 
ing  vote  is  in  the  power  of  the  Quakers. — Wheeling, 
on  the  Virginia  side  of  the  river,  contains  near  3000  in¬ 
habitants.  I  attended  the  Episcopal  church  in  the  morning ; 
the  congregation,  to  the  number  of  perhaps  250,  com¬ 
fortably  filled  the  house.  It  was  communion  day,  and 
the  minister  thus  addressed  them.  ‘  I  have  here  nothing 
to  do  with  names  or  sects  ;  I  would  that  all  who  feel  them¬ 
selves  penitent  sinners,  should  partake  with  us  at  the 
table  of  our  common  Lord.’  The  next  morning,  Mr 


54 


* 


Armstrong,  the  clergyman,  concluding,  from  my  seat  in 
church,  that  I  was  a  stranger,  called  on  me.  I  found 
him  an  intelligent  gentleman,  and  a  Trinitarian  without 
bigotry.  He  was  born  in  Scotland,  educated  in  England, 
and  is  near  60  years  old.  His  church,  he  has  been 
five  years  in  forming.  The  communicants  are  4*2  or  3. 
He  visits  many  places  in  the  vicinity  of  Wheeling.  In 
the  afternoon,  I  attended  the  Presbyterian  church.  The 
congregation  consisted  of  about  100; — there  were,  proba¬ 
bly,  twice  that  number  in  the  morning,  as  church  is 
here  less  frequented  in  the  afternoon.  The  preaching 
was  of  a  respectable  order.  The  Presbyterian  church 
had  the  attendance  of  between  50  and  60  children  at  their 
Sunday  School,  between  meetings.  The  Catholics  have 
a  small  society  in  this  place,  but  no  minister.  The  Meth¬ 
odists  are  numerous  ;  in  1824,  they  returned  865  as  mem¬ 
bers  of  their  society  ;  they  have  somewhat  decreased 
since  that  time. 

“From  Wheeling,  I  recrossed  the  river,  and  rode  10 
miles,  to  St  Clairsviile,  the  shire  town  of  Belmont  county. 
The  town  contains  720  inhabitants.  There  are  Quaker, 
Episcopalian,  Methodist,  and  Presbyterian  churches  in 
the  place  :  they  are  built  near  together,  and  are  one 
or  two  story  brick  buildings,  without  steeples  or  bells.  I 
left  St  Clairsviile  for  Marietta.  At  Morristown,  1  i  miles,  I 
stopped  to  rest  my  horse.  Here  a  circumstance  took  place, 
the  relation  of  which,  I  trust,  needs  no  apology.  I  was  mak¬ 
ing  inquiries  of  the  aged  inn-keeper  concerning  the  Chris¬ 
tian  denominations  in  the  place,  and  among  others,  I  ask¬ 
ed  him  if  there  were  any  Unitarians;  ‘  What !  ’  says  he, 
c  vou  don’t  call  them  Christians  !’  ‘  Yes  Sir,  I  do.’  ‘  Why 
folks  say  here,  they  are  Deists.’  4  Do  you  know  Sir,  what 
they  profess  V  ‘  No,  they  don’t  believe  anything.’  I  then 
handed  him  a  little  book  containing  the  Unitarian  faith  ; 
after  he  had  read  it,  1  asked  him  how  he  liked  it.  He 
said  there  was  no  hurt  in  it;  it  was  like  his  bible.  I 
grave  him  one  or  two  tracts,  and  the  old  man  bade  me  a  kind 
c/ood  by,  convinced  that  there  was  a  difference  between 
a  Unitarian  and  a  Deist.  Morristown  is  small,  containing 


55 


about  200  inhabitants.  There  is  no  educated  minister 
in  the  place.  I  next  stopped  at  Barnesville,  12  miles;  it 
is  a  thriving  place  containing  about  350  inhabitants. 
There  are  here  two  small  churches  belonging  to  the 
Quakers  and  Presbyterians. — Wed.  17th  I  rode  11  miles 
to  Woodsfield,  the  shire  town  of  Monroe  county.  I  there 
found  a  farmer  who  was  a  Unitarian.  He  said  there 
were  three  or  four  in  the  place*  and  solicited  some  tracts 
for  distribution.  He  wished  me  to  stay  over  night  and 
preach  in  the  evening,  stating  that  there  was  no  settled 
minister  or  established  church  in  the  place  except  the 
Methodist.  Woodsfield  is  small,  containing  about  300 
inhabitants,  and  has  a  log  court  house  with  a  family  in 
the  basement  story. — May  18th  I  arrived  at  Marietta. 
It  is  the  most  beautiful  town  I  ever  visited.  It  combines 
all  the  beauties  of  town  and  country  scenery  ;  but  when 
you  leave  the  public  road  that  lies  along  the  river,  the 
streets  are  grown  over  with  grass,  there  appears  to  be  a 
perfect  stagnation  of  business,  many  of  the  houses  are 
left  desolate,  the  occupants  having  been,  some  swept  off, 
and  others  frightened  away  by  fevers.  The  town  has  con¬ 
tained  1700  inhabitants,  but  within  the  last  three  years 
that  number  has  diminished.  There  are  but  two  ream- 

H 

lar  societies,  the  Congregational  and  the  Methodist.  The 
Methodists  are  very  few,  their  church  is  a  small  one  story 
building. — The  ministers  in  this  part  of  the  State,  with  the 
exception  of  the  Presbyterians,  are  of  the  lower  orders 
of  society.  The  churches  and  ministers  are  almost  entirely 
confined  to  the  shire  towns ;  the  inhabitants  are  scattered 
along  the  creeks  and  small  streams,  so  that  distance  pre¬ 
vents  the  formation  of  churches  in  other  parts  of  the  coun¬ 
ties.  The  clergy  are  assisting  us  by  declaiming  against 
us  ;  they  thus  excite  a  spirit  of  inquiry.  The  south-east  part 
of  Ohio  contains  many  settlers  from  New  England.  They 
are  dissatisfied  with  the  Presbyterian  church  government, 
as  something  arbitrary,  and  to  them,  an  innovation.  They 
need  some  one  to  tell  them  and  others  of  Unitarianism, 
what  it  is,  for  here  it  is  represented  by  the  Presbyterians 
as  worse  than  Deism.  In  the  shire  towns,  I  think  Uni¬ 
tarian  preachers  could  obtain  the  use  of  the  court-houses, 
and  they  would  have  respectable  audiences  ;  but  they 


56 


would  receive  little  open  support  at  first. — Monroe,  Mor¬ 
gan,  Washington,  Meigs,  Gallia,  Jackson,  Lawrence, 
Scioto  and  Pike  counties  are  rough  and  thinly  settled. 
The  inhabitants  cannot,  in  one  day’s  ride,  get  together  in 
sufficient  numbers  to  form  congregations.  They  are  ge¬ 
nerally  a  sober  and  religious  people.  Gallipolis  is  about 
a  third  as  large  as  Marietta,  and  the  other  parts  of  Gallia 
county,  together  with  Meigs,  Lawrence,  Pike,  Jackson 
and  Scioto  counties  are  so  rough  and  so  thinly  settled,  that 
it  would  be  useless  to  visit  them.  It  is  the  poorest 
part  of  the  state.  To  go  from  Marietta  to  Athens, 
and  thence  to  Chilicothe,  thence  to  West  Union  will 
be  nearer  and  more  useful  than  a  river  route. 

From  Marietta  Mr  Thomas  accordingly  rode  to  Athens, 
where  he  says,  “I  was  introduced  to  President  Wilson,  and 
the  professors  of  the  Institution,  who  are  firm  Presbyteri¬ 
ans.  There  is  but  one  meetinghouse  in  the  town,  and 
that  a  small  building,  belonging  to  the  Methodists.  The 
Presbyterians  occupy  the  court-house.  The  Presbyteri¬ 
ans  and  the  Methodists  are  equal  as  to  numbers.  There 
are  several  Christians  in  the  county. — From  Athens,  I 
visited  Chilicothe,  in  Ross  county,  50  miles.  Having 
made  a  change  in  my  route,  I  had  no  letters  to  this 
place,  but  from  general  inquiries  I  learnt  that  the  town 
contained  about  2800  inhabitants,  that  the  Methodists 
are  generally  thought  to  be  the  most  numerous,  and  the 
Presbyterians  next.  The  Episcopalians  and  Baptists  are 
few.  There  are  some  Universal ists,  but  they  seldom 
have  preaching:  there  are  also  some  scattered  Christians, 

1  O  t  7 

but  I  could  hear  of  no  societies  among  them. — From 
Chilicothe,  I  went  to  West  Union,  in  Adams  county, 
60  miles.  I  was  there  introduced  to  the  Presbyterian 
clergyman,  who  told  me  that  there  were  three  Presby¬ 
terian  churches  in  the  county,  of  100  members  each, 
that  his  church  numbered  100.  The  Methodists  in 
1824,  made  returns  of  814,  as  members  of  their  society  in 
this  county,  under  the  head,  4  Brush  Creek.’  There 
are  a  few  scattered  Christians  in  this  county.  In 
Brown  county,  joining  Adamson  the  west,  I  was  inform¬ 
ed  that  the  Christians  were  very  numerous.  In  this,  and 
the  neighboring  counties  the  Sabbath  and  its  institutions 

o  o 


57 


are  punctually  regarded  ;  Sunday  schools  are  very  com¬ 
mon,  especially  among  the  Presbyterians.” 

“  On  looking  over  my  memoranda,  I  find  a  request, 
that  I  would  visit  Mr  Sarjent,  who,  I  incidentally  heard, 
was  resident  near  West  Union,  on  Brush  Creek,  (Ohio) 
superintending  the  publication  of  his  paper,  which  is  ex¬ 
ecuted  at  the  West  Union  press.  He  also  has  a  society 
7  miles  out  of  town.  On  Sunday,  May  28th,  I  attended 
his  meeting,  where  I  found  a  congregation  assembled,  to 
the  number  of  48  or  50.  I  entered  their  small  one  story 
log  meeting-house,  with  the  old  man,  who  shook  hands 
with  his  people  as  he  passed  to  the  opposite  side  of  the 
room,  where  a  bench,  made  by  splitting  a  log  and  setting 
up  part  of  it  on  four  pegs,  was  appropriated  to  his  use. 
After  he  had  seated  himself,  he  took  his  saddle  bags 
across  his  knees,  and  drew  out  a  bundle  nicely  rolled  up 
in  a  piece  of  deerskin,  which  proved  to  be  his  bible  and 
hymn  book.  After  a  few  impressive  remarks  on  the  occa¬ 
sion  for  which  we  were  assembled,  he  commenced  his 
services  by  reading  and  singing  a  hymn,  at  the  close  of 
which  the  whole  congregation  knelt  in  prayer.  As  the 
old  man  raised  his  eyes  and  withered  hands  towards 
heaven,  his  white  locks  fell  back  on  his  shoulders,  and 
he  seemed  like  devotion  personified.  He  continued  in 
prayer  nearly  an  hour,  during  which  time  there  was  nei¬ 
ther  shouting  nor  groaning ;  the  only  responses  were  oc¬ 
casional  amens,  uttered  in  tones  of  deep  devotional  feel¬ 
ing.  After  the  prayer  he  continued  to  speak  for  two  or 
three  hours,  during  which  time  manv  of  them  felt  the 
want  of  temporal  as  well  as  spiritual  food,  and  drew  forth 
their  several  budgets  of  provision,  which  they  very  quietly 
disposed  of.  I  joined  them  in  the  concluding  prayer, 
and  I  can  truly  say  that  I  never  felt  in  a  more  devotional 
frame,  than  while  thus  worshipping  that  Being,  who  ac¬ 
cepts  our  heart  rendered  services,  whether  offered  be¬ 
neath  a  vaulted  dome,  or  a  brush -thatched  hovel.  Mr 
Sarjent  and  his  hearers  are  united  in  their  sentiments, 
which  are  these.  They  believe  in  one  God,  the  Father 
Almighty  ;  they  believe  Jesus  to  be  inferior  and  depend¬ 
ent  on  God  ;  they  deny  the  natural  immortality  of  the  soul, 
asserting  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  he  alone  hath  immor- 


58 


tality,  and  that,  after  the  fall  immortality  was  the  gift 
which  Christ  came  to  bestow  on  his  followers  only  ;  they 
deny  the  doctrine  of  endless  misery,  believing  that  when 
a  wicked  man  dies,  he  is  not  annihilated,  but  his  spirit 
returns  to  the ‘ocean  of  Deity,’  whence  it  was  given, 
and  his  body  returns  to  the  dust ;  they  deny  the  doctrine 
of  a  future  resurrection,  believing  that  wrhen  a  man  be¬ 
comes  religious,  it  is  his  resurrection  from  the  dead,  and 
that  after  death,  he  passes  immediately  to  a  happy  state 
of  existence.  Mr  Sarjent  has  been  a  preacher  in  this 
part  of  the  country  for  thirty  years ;  he  is  poor  and  vio¬ 
lently  persecuted  by  the  Presbyterians :  he  says  that 
when  they  found  they  could  not  destroy  his  church 
by  preaching  to  them,  which  he  gives  them  liberty  to  do 
whenever  he  is  absent,  they  then  attacked  his  private 
character.  He  again  and  again  requested  me  to  express 
his  warmest  sentiments  of  gratitude  and  affection  to  you  ; 
he  savs  his  religious  views  have  been  altered  and  im- 
proved  since  his  correspondence  with  Unitarians  in  the 
East.  He  informed  me  that  there  were  three  other 
churches  or  preachers  of  the  same  denomination,  viz  : 
Matthias  Croy,  Gallia  county,  Ohio,  Evan  Miles,  Jefferson 
county,  Indiana,  and  Aylette  Rains,  Crawford  county, 
Indiana.  They  style  themselves, 4  The  Free  Church  :  ’ 
they  are  distinct  from  the  Christians.” 

“  Maysville,  on  the  Kentucky  side,  is  17  miles  from 
West  Union.  The  gentleman  to  whom  I  had  a  letter, 
was  absent.  I  learnt  that  the  place  contained  respectable 
Methodist,  Baptist,  and  Episcopal  churches. — From  Mays¬ 
ville  I  took  the  road  to  Paris,  in  Bourbon  county,  (Ken¬ 
tucky,)  where  I  visited  the  venerable  Mr  Eastin.  From 
him  I  expected  more  information  than  from  any  other 
source  in  the  West,  but  was  disappointed.  I  found  him 
confined  to  his  bed,  and,  he  thought,  near  his  grave.  He 
has  a  Unitarian  church  near  Paris,  consisting  of  about 
85  members,  who  are  mostly  old  men  ;  he  also  visits  an¬ 
other  society  on  Kane  Ridge,  of  10  members.  He  is 
the  same  Eastin,  whose  letters  are  published  in  the  third 
volume  of  the  Unitarian  Miscellany. — By  his  advice  I 
went  the  next  morning  to  Georgetown,  the  shire  town  of 
Scott  county.  I  there  saw  Mr  Stone,  who  may  be  con- 


59 


sidered  the  head  of  the  Christians,*  throughout  this  and 
the  Western  States,  both  as  a  writer  and  a  preacher.  He 
informed  me,  that  Mr  Badger  visited  him  last  winter,  for 
the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  state  of  the  Christian 
church  ;  that  during  his  stay,  an  assembly  of  the  elders 
was  called,  and  the  number  of  churches,  preachers,  and 
church  members,  was  committed  to  writing,  and  given  to 
him,  as  official  information  to  lay  before  the  public  ;  this 
he  has  done  in  the  Gospel  Luminary,  published  at  West 
Bloomfield,  (New  York,)  Vol.  ii.  No.  4.  I  have  seen 
three  numbers  of  this  work,  which  contain  minute  in¬ 
formation,  and  as  far  as  my  observation  has  extended,  it 
is  correct.  In  addition  to  what  you  may  learn  from  these, 
Mr  Stone  is  desirous  to  open  a  communication  between 
Unitarians  in  the  East  and  West.  I  gave  him  duplicates 
of  all  the  tracts  of  the  Association,  which  he  said  he 
would  present  in  turn  to  all  the  elders  in  his  vicinity. 
Mr  Stone  farther  states,  that  thev  approve  of  the  Chris¬ 
tian  Disciple,  a  few  copies  of  which  are  in  circulation 
among  them.  They  are  about  publishing  a  periodical 
work  at  Cincinnati  ;  Mr  Stone  is  appointed  editor. 
They  have  published  a  new  edition  of  Mr  Worcester’s 
wrjjings.  Mr  Stone  is  regarded  as  a  worthy  and  pious 
man;  once  rich,  but  he  has  emancipated  his  slaves  at 
the  expense  of  the  luxuries  of  life,  though  he  still  pos¬ 
sesses  a  competency.  He  states  that  the  Christians 
are  opposed  to  slavery,  which  renders  them  unpopular 
with  many.  The  preachers  among  them  have  freed 
their  slaves.  There  are  several  professional  men  among 
the  Christians  in  this  State. — While  with  Mr  Stone,  I 
attended  a  union,  -  monthly  prayer  meeting,  of  the  Chris¬ 
tians,  Methodists,  and  Baptists.  They  maintained  perfect 
order.  There  was  neither  shouting,  groaning  nor 
screaming  ;  the  one  that  prayed  last,  invited  some  one 
to  succeed  him  :  the  house  was  full,  and  the  audi¬ 
ence,  to  the  number,  probably,  of  300,  were  respec¬ 
table,  serious  and  attentive  ;  the  house  belonged  to  the 
Christians,  and  is  situated  in  the  centre  of  George- 

*  It  will  be  understood  that  Mr  Thomas  uses  this  word  in  this  and 
similar  places  to  designate  a  denomination  of  believers,  who  refuse 
to  be  called  by  any  other  name.  See  pages  14  and  15  of  4he  Report. 


60 


town. — What  I  have  seen  of  Kentucky,  and  the  informa¬ 
tion  I  have  gained  from  Mr  Stone,  have  convinced  me, 
that  it  would  be  of  little  importance  to  spend  any  more 
time  in  this  State.  I  shall  therefore  go  from  this  place 
by  way  of  Lexington  and  Frankfort,  to  Cincinnati,  and 
thence  to  Louisville. — In  this  State,  Tennessee,  and  Ala¬ 
bama,  I  should  judge,  that  Presbyterianism  is  on  the  de¬ 
cline.  The  people  say  they  will  not  endure  priestriding, 
as  they  here  term  the  Presbyterian  church  government. 
Mr  Stone  remarked,  that  were  he  to  name  the  different 
denominations  in  these  three  States  according  to  their 
numbers,  he  should  place  the  Methodists  first,  the  Bap¬ 
tists  and  Christians  next,  then  the  Presbyterians,  Episco¬ 
palians  and  Catholics.  Sunday  Schools  are  common  in 
this  State  among  all  denominations.” 

“On  Sunday,  June  4th,  I  attended  the  Episcopal  church 
in  Lexington.  The  congregation  I  should  estimate  at 
600.  It  was  communion  day  ;  23  persons  approached 
the  altar,  among  whom  were  four  males.  The  following 
account  of  the  churches  in  Lexington  is  copied  from  in¬ 
formation  furnished  me  by  a  gentleman  who  resides  in  the 
place.  1.  Roman,  Holy  Cross,  small,  service  once  a 
month.  2.  Episcopal,  Christ  Church,  large,  highly  re¬ 
spectable,  intelligent,  the  house  in  good  taste,  an  organ, 
the  minister  a  graduate  of  Dartmouth,  pews  taxed.  3. 
Presbyterians,  1st,  large,  many  families  from  the  country, 
respectable,  minister  not  academically  educated,  pew 
taxes.  4.  Presbyterian,  2nd,  not  very  large,  respectable, 
minister  a  graduate  of  Princeton,  pew  taxes.  5.  Presby¬ 
terian,  3d,  furmerlv  of  the  Associate  Reformed,  now 
independent,  very  small,  minister  old  and  infirm,  worship 
seldom.  6.  Baptist,  large,  not  many  educated  people, 
minister  has  the  degree  0f  D.  D.  seats  free.  7.  Metho- 
dists,  very  large,  tolerant,  amiable  and  pious,  seats  free. 
8.  Independent  Methodist,  not  very  large,  liberal,  amiable, 
devout,  the  minister  a  physician,  also  philanthropic  and 
useful,  seats  free.  9.  African  church,  house  small,  ne¬ 
groes  many,  devoted  to  noise  and  ignorance.” 

On  his  arrival  at  Frankfort,  Mr  Thomas  was  suddenly 
and  violently  seized  with  fever ;  but  by  immediate  use  of 
remedies,  overcame  the  disorder,  and  continued  his  jour¬ 
ney. 


61 


I 

u  The  only  village  on  the  road  from  Frankfort  (Ken¬ 
tucky)  to  Cincinnati,  (Ohio)  a  distance  of  100  miles,  is 
Williamstown  ;  it  contains  between  1  and  *200  inhabit¬ 
ants,  and  a  Methodist  and  a  Baptist  meeting-house,  both 
log  buildings.  The  meetings  were  well  attended  in  the 
morning,  but  the  object  seemed  to  be  to  bring  together 
people  for  the  sports  of  the  afternoon.  I  did  not  witness 
a  horse-race  or  cock-fight,  but  I  was  told  that  they  were 
not  uncommon  in  that  place  on  the  Sabbath.  I  could 
hear  of  no  Christians  in  the  neighborhood. — In  Cincin¬ 
nati  I  spent  three  days.  I  found  here  many  Unitarians, 
among  whom  are  three  of  the  most  influential  men  in  the 
city.  I  shall  pass  through  Cincinnati  on  my  return  from 
the  West,  and  shall  then  ascertain  the  numbers  and 
strength  of  the  different  sects  in  the  place.” 

From  Cincinnati  to  Louisville,  in  Kentucky,  130  miles, 
Mr  Thomas,  learning  that  there  were  no  villages  on  the 
road,  that  would  compensate  him  for  the  delay  of  visiting 
them,  passed  down  the  river  in  the  steamboat.  Of  the 
latter  place  he  writes, 

44 1  attended  in  the  morning  the  Episcopal  church.  It 
is  a  fine  building,  and  was  filled  with  the  most  fashionable 
people  in  Louisville.  The  congregation  may  have  been 
200.  They  have  but  one  service  in  the  day,  as  it  is  not 
fashionable  to  attend  church  in  the  afternoon.  There  is 
a  respectable  Presbyterian  church  and  society,  but  their 
minister  was  absent.  At  noon  I  attended  two  Sundav 
schools,  one  at  the  Presbyterian,  and  the  other  at  the 
Methodist  church.  In  the  two  schools  there  were  nearly 
200  pupils.  All,  of  every  denomination,  send  their  chil¬ 
dren  to  these  two  schools.  The  exercises  consisted  in 
learning  to  read,  and  in  reading  and  reciting  hymns  and 
portions  of  scripture.  In  the  afternoon  I  attended  the 
Methodist  church,  where  the  preacher  exerted  the  utmost 
power  of  his  lungs  to  an  audience  of  less  than  200  per¬ 
sons.  There  is  one  Baptist  church  of  good  standing,  and 
a  Catholic  church,  attended  by  a  regular  priest  once  a 
month.  There  are  also  two  African  churches,  with 
preachers  suited  to  the  understanding  of  the  slaves.  In 
the  county  are  several  meeting-houses,  for  the  Presbyte¬ 
rians,  Baptists,  and  Methodists,  indiscriminately.  Thev 

6 


62 


f 

were  extremely  anxious  here,  as  well  as  at  all  the  large 
towns  1  have  visited,  that  a  Unitarian  preacher  should 
visit  them.’5 

From  Louisville  Mr  Thomas  entered  the  State  of  In¬ 
diana  and  passed  through  Loyd,  Harrison,  and  Crawford 
counties.  His  journal  here  furnishes  the  following  ex- 
tracts. 

“  On  my  way  from  the  neighborhood  of  Fredonia  to 
Paoli,  I  called  on  brother  David  Stewart,  one  of  the 
elders  in  the  Christian  church.  He  received  me  with 
great  joy,  and  gave  me  the  numbers  of  the  churches  in 
his  vicinity.  He  stated  that  there  were  three  churches 
in  Crawford  county,  including  150  members;  three  in 
Orange  county,  including  200  members;  three  in  Wash¬ 
ington  county,  including  300  members  ;  four  in  Harrison 
county  ;  four  in  Monroe  county,  including  500  members. 
He  remarked  in  the  course  of  our  conversation,  that  he 
had  often  mentioned  the  subject  of  instituting  a  corres¬ 
pondence  as  a  body  with  their  Unitarian  brethren  in  the 
East.  From  his  house,  I  went  to  Paoli,  the  shire  town 
of  Orange  county,  containing  50  or  60  houses.  I  found 
a  few  Quakers,  Baptists,  and  Presbyterians,  but  no  meet¬ 
ing-house  other  than  the  court-house. — From  Paoli  I  rode 
9  miles  to  brother  Lewis  Byram’s.  He  informed  me 
that  they  had  instituted  a  Sunday  school  in  Paoli,  where 
the  children  of  parents  of  all  denominations  attend  to 
the  number  of  100  and  upwards.  He  is  the  principal  of 
the  school.  They  are  also  erecting  a  building  in  Paoli 
which  they  call  the  Seminary  ;  of  this  he  is  overseer  and 
principal ;  he  is  also  chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Cor¬ 
respondence  between  the  Conference,  of  which  he  is  a 
member,  and  others  of  the  same,  and  neighboring  States. 
— I  left  brother  Byram’s,  and  rode  to  Hindostan,  the 
shire  town  of  Martin  county,  containing  about  63  inhabit¬ 
ants,  exclusive  of  one  negro. — Friday,  23d,  I  breakfasted 
in  Washington,  the  shire  town  of  Daviess  county.  I 
made  no  acquaintances  in  the  place ;  but  learnt  from 
general  inquiry,  that  it  contained  between  2  and  300  in¬ 
habitants,  and  that  Sunday  schools  were  attended  by  men 
and  women,  as  well  as  children,  for  the  purpose  of  learn¬ 
ing  to  read  and  write.  There  are  two  small  meeting- 


63 


houses  ill  Washington. — At  night,  I  arrived  at  Vincennes, 
Knox  county,  containing  1500  inhabitants;  of  these  the 
Catholics  number  near  700  souls,  and  300  voters.  They 
are  erecting  a  splendid  church,  and  the  only  one  in  the 
place.  Their  funds  are  procured  from  the  Catholics  at 
New  Orleans,  Baltimore,  Cincinnati,  &c.  There  are  a 
few  churches  in  the  county  near  Vincennes,  and  a  Pres¬ 
byterian  minister  resides  in  the  town.  The  inhabitants 
are  mostly  foreigners. — After  leaving  Vincennes,  I  called 
on  brother  Wasson,  who  resides  15  miles  south  of  Prince¬ 
ton,  Gibson  county.  He  informed  me,  that  there  were 
four  churches  within  six  miles  of  him,  containing  300 
members.  I  left  with  him,  as  with  all  the  elders  I  have 
visited,  a  copy  of  each  of  our  tracts.— June  26th,  I  break¬ 
fasted  at  Harmony.  There  are  here  about  900  souls. 
They  make  no  pretensions  to  religion,  having  metamor¬ 
phosed  a  fine  large  church  into  a  work-shop.  I  might 
fill  two  or  three  sheets  on  the  subject  of  the  Harmony 
community  ;  but  as  it  does  not  come  within  my  province, 
I  shall  only  add,  that  Sunday  is  a  holiday  ;  they  have  two 
public  balls  a  week,  one  every  Tuesday,  and  one  every 
Saturday  night ;  that  the  men  played  ball  all  yesterday 
afternoon ;  that  their  corn-fields  and  vineyards  are  over¬ 
run  with  weeds  ;  that  many  of  the  leaders  among  them 
are  foreigners  ;  that  a  number  have  left  them  ;  and  that 
Mr  Owen  has  departed  from  his  original  plan,  having 
established  three  separate  communities  with  clashing 
interests,  viz.  agricultural,  mechanical,  and  literary,  and 
having  sold  much  of  the  property  to  individuals.  I  find 
there  are  many  of  the  Christian  brethren  between  this 
place  and  St  Louis.  I  shall  visit  those  that  fall  in  my 
way.” 

The  next  letter,  received  from  Mr  Thomas,  was  of  a 
much  later  date  than  that  from  which  the  above  passages 
are  copied,  and  was  written  as  he  was  returning  from 
the  West.  His  journal  is  thus  continued  : 

“  Since  my  last  communication,  I  have  been,  much  of 
my  time,  in  almost  a  wilderness  country,  little  calculated  to 
afford  important  religious  information.  Such  observations 
respecting  the  worship,  character,  and  rank  in  society  of 
different  sects,  as  I  have  been  able  to  make,  during  a  rapid 


64 


progress  through  a  country  where  the  name  Unitarian  is 
hardly  known,  I  will  now  communicate.  The  information  I 
have  gained,  has  been  from  an  acquaintance  with  preach¬ 
ers,  and  religious  societies,  of  different  denominations, 
both  from  their  public  exercises,  and  from  private  inter¬ 
course  :  also,  from  gentlemen  of  intelligence,  to  whom  I 
had  introductory  letters,  and  who  have  furnished  me  with 
necessary  information,  unattainable  by  personal  observa¬ 
tion,  during  my  short  visits. — I  crossed  the  Wabash,  six 
miles  below  Harmony,  and  took  the  most  direct  route  to 
St  Louis.  I  passed  through  the  shire  towns  of  White, 
Hamilton,  and  Jefferson  counties,  and  the  towns  Carlyle 
and  Washington,  in  Washington  county,  and  Lebanon 
and  Illinois,  in  St  Clair  county,  State  of  Illinois.  These 
are  the  only  towns  I  passed  in  travelling  160  or  170  miles, 
on  one  of  the  most  public  roads,  and  I  may  almost  say, 
the  only  road,  through  the  southern  and  middle  parts  of 
Illinois.  The  country  is  low  and  level,  the  water  seldom 
good,  and  the  streams  of  a  sluggish,  green,  and  unhealthy 
appearance.  The  land  is  mostly  prairies,  with  a  few 
cabins  built  on  their  borders.  Under  these  circumstan¬ 
ces,  the  towns  are,  of  course,  small,  and  increase  slowly. 
Those  I  have  named,  number  from  40  to  100  souls. 
(When  I  mention  the  population  of  a  town,  I  include  only 
those  who  live  on  the  town  lots,  as  they  are  here  termed, 
and  not  the  inhabitants  of  the  whole  township.)  The 
people  are  so  few,  and  so  scattered,  and  eminent  preachers 
so  seldom  among  them,  that,  to  a  considerable  degree, 
they  neglect  the  assembling  of  themselves  together,  either 
for  public  worship,  or  the  organization  of  churches.  In 
some  of  the  towns,  are  no  places  for  public  worship  ;  in 
some,  camp  grounds  with  booths  ;  in  some,  court-houses  ; 
and  in  a  few,  a  small  meeting-house,  for  all  denominations, 
indiscriminately.  For  these  reasons,  I  found  it  impossi¬ 
ble  to  form  a  correct  estimate  of  the  proportionate  numbers 
of  the  different  denominations.  I  learnt,  that  there  were 
several  societies  of  the  Cumberland  Presbyterians,  a  new 
sect,  which  sprang  from  the  General  Assembly  Presbyte¬ 
rians.  They  were  rejected  by  the  Synod,  because  they 
sent  out  preachers,  whom  they  believed  to  be  ‘  gifted  in 
teaching/  but  who  had  not  received  an  education  and  li- 


65 


cense,  such  as  are  required  by  the  rules  of  the  Synod, 
The  qualifications  of  teachers,  and  the  doctrine  of  decrees, 
are  the  only  material  points  in  which  they  differ  from  the 
General  Assembly  Presbyterians.  In  their  creeds,  they 
omit  those  articles  which  express  a  belief  in  the  doctrine 
of  decrees,  and  substitute  sentiments  similar  to  those  of 
the  Methodists.  The  Methodist  circuit  riders  are  doing 
much  for  the  cause  of  religion,  in  every  part  of  the  West. 
They  carry  their  religion,  as  it  were,  to  every  man’s  door. 
I  meet  their  preachers  in  almost  every  part  of  the  country. 
The  following  facts  will  give  additional  weight  to  an 
opinion  I  expressed  in  a  previous  letter,  that  the  Gene:: ' 
Assembly  Presbyterians  are  on  the  decline  in  the  South 
and  West.  The  Christian  body,  of  which  there  are  15 
or  20,000  members,  west  of  the  mountains,  originated 
from  the  Presbyterians,  and  are  strictly  Unitarian  in  their 
opinions  of  the  Father  and  the  Son.  The  Cumberland 
Presbyterians,  who  are  numerous  in  Illinois  and  Missouri, 
also  separated  from  the  Presbyterians.  Trinitarian  mis¬ 
sionaries,  from  the  East,  I  have  heard  of,  but  have  never 
met  with  any.  They  are  unpopular  and  unsuccessful  in  this 
section  of  the  country  ;  perhaps,  more  so,  than  any  other 
class  of  preachers.  This  may,  in  part,  be  imputed  to  the 
eastern  custom  of  reading  sermons.  In  many  places,  the 
majority  of  a  western  audience  seem  to  consider  a  written 
discourse  as  an  acknowledgment  of  incapacity  to  give 
oral  instructions,  and  withdraw  their  attention  at  the 
sight  of  a  preacher’s  notes,  as  though  he  were  incapable 
of  preaching  the  gospel.  The  state  of  society  in  a  new 
country  requires  a  different  kind  of  preaching.  They 
must  have  excitement.  In  the  parts  of  Illinois  under 
consideration,  the  inhabitants  are  emigrants  from  differ- 
ent  parts,  unacquainted,  and  living  at  a  distance  from 
each  other,  with  little  neighborly  intercourse.  Thus  sit¬ 
uated,  they  lose  much  of  that  laudable  pride  and  emula¬ 
tion,  which  are  necessary  to  the  good  appearance  of  their 
persons,  houses,  and  farms,  and,  at  the  same  time,  they, 
in  a  great  degree,  lose  their  religion.  Missionaries  here, 
might  be  useful  to  a  few,  but  there  are  other  parts  of  this 
and  other  States,  in  which  their  sphere  of  usefulness 
might  be  much  more  extensive.” 

6* 


66 


“  July  *2d,  I  arrived  at  St  Louis,  Missouri,  which,  ac¬ 
cording  to  Col.  Strother,  and  others,  has  a  population  of 
6  or  7000.  From  the  appearance  of  the  place,  I  should 
estimate  the  population  at  4  or  5000.  The  Catholics 
have  a  large  society.  Their  meeting-house  is  large,  but 
unfinished  ;  their  priest  a  man  of  education  and  talents. 
They  have  two  services  on  the  Sabbath  :  the  morning 
sermon  in  French,  the  afternoon  sermon  in  English. 
There  are,  also,  a  Presbyterian,  and  a  Methodist  society, 
each  of  which  has  a  convenient  house  for  public  worship. 
I  attended  the  Catholic  church  in  the  morning,  intending 
to  go  to  the  Presbyterian  meeting  in  the  afternoon,  and 
to  the  Methodist  in  the  evening.  The  Presbyterian 
afternoon  service  was  omitted,  on  account  of  a  funeral, 
and  the  Methodists  had  no  evening  meeting.  Mr  S.  re¬ 
marked  that  it  was  his  opinion,  that  a  good  Unitarian 
preacher  might  soon  attach  to  himself  a  large  society  of 
the  most  respectable  citizens  in  the  place.  St  Louis 
surpasses  all  places  I  have  visited,  unless  it  be  Louis¬ 
ville,  in  fashion,  and  high  notions  of  life;  great  liber¬ 
ality,  (and  I  may  almost  say  licentiousness)  of  opinion 
on  religious  subjects,  prevails  among  them.  Many  of  this 
class  of  people  do  not  support  Presbyterian  preachers, 
because  they  do  not  agree  with  them  in  principles,  nor 
are  they  willing  to  submit  to  a  synod  in  matters  of  reli¬ 
gion  ;  they  do  not  support  the  Catholics,  because  they 
do  not  believe  in  their  ceremonies  ;  and  those  of  other 
denominations  are  seldom  men  of  education.  Should  a 
Unitarian  preacher  visit  St  Louis,  I  think  he  might  ob¬ 
tain  a  liberal  support  ;  but  the  manners  and  habits  of  the 
people  are  such,  that,  should  he,  in  his  zeal,  hold  his 
meetings  in  the  market,  or  under  the  shade  of  a  tree,  he 
would  fail  of  doing  that  good,  which  I  think  a  missionary 
might  do,  were  he  to  visit  St  Louis  and  St  Charles  under 
favorable  circumstances. — July  4th,  in  the  evening,  I 
rode  to  St  Charles,  distant  from  St  Louis  20  miles.  Six 
miles  this  side  of  St  Charles,  I  was  overtaken  by  a  violent 
storm  ;  the  night  set  in  extremely  dark,  the  rain  fell  in 
torrents,  the  wind  rose,  the  dry  trees  fell  crashing  around 
me  ;  the  road  I  knew  not— -the  last  three  miles  of  the 
way  were  through  bottom  lands,  frequently  overflowed 


67 


from  the  Missouri,  the  mud  knee  deep,  and  the  timber  so 
thick  that  the  road  was  invisible.  Under  these  circum¬ 
stances,  I  arrived  at  the  ferry  at  10  o’clock.  The  ferry¬ 
man  refused  to  carry  me  across  till  morning,  but  gave  me 
leave  to  trade  with  his  slaves,  provided  1  ran  my  own 
risk.  The  wind  was  very  high,  we  missed  the  landing, 
and  I  got  out  in  water  two  or  three  feet  deep,  and  led  my 
horse  ashore.  St  Charles  contains  about  1000  inhabit¬ 
ants.  There  were  no  meeting-houses  in  the  place,  though 
they  usually  have  preaching  of  some  kind.  I  spent  the 
next  day  with  Governor  Miller,  who  received  me  with 
great  politeness  and  hospitality  ;  but  St  Charles  not  being 
his  permanent  place  of  residence,  he  could  afford  me  no 
farther  account  of  the  religious  affairs  of  the  town,  than 
that  there  was  the  usual  variety  of  sentiment  common 
in  places  settled  by  emigrants  from  different  parts,  and 
that  they  have  not,  as  yet,  regular  established  preachers, 
or  churches.  In  this  state  of  things,  I  think  a  missionary 
would  be  well  employed,  were  he  to  divide  his  time  be¬ 
tween  these  two  places.” 

Mr  Thomas  was  advised  to  follow  his  own  judgment 
in  respect  to  the  route,  which  he  should  pursue,  both  go¬ 
ing  and  returning.  Of  his  journey  homeward,  he  says, 

“'As  I  returned  from  Indiana,  I  visited  some  of  the  wes¬ 
tern  counties  of  Ohio,  which  together  with  those  1  had 
previously  visited  in  the  eastern  and  southern  parts  of  the 
State,  I  deemed  sufficient  to  give  a  correct  idea  of  the 
general  state  of  religion  in  Ohio.  And  as  little  can  be 
done  except  in  large  towns,  I  concluded  that  a  rapid  pro¬ 
gress  through  the  centre  of  the  state  would  occupy  all 
the  time  I  could  profitably  spend  in  the  West.  I  therefore, 
by  the  advice  of  those  in  Cincinnati,  whom  I  had  consult¬ 
ed  in  forming  my  route  westward,  sold  my  horse  at  Lex¬ 
ington,  and  proceeded  on  a  direct  course  through  Cincin¬ 
nati  and  Columbus  to  Cleveland. 

“  Having  recruited' a  little  at  St  Louis  and  St  Charles  I 
commenced  my  homeward  route,  somewhat  disheartened 
at  the  dreary  extent  of  prarie  and  forest  between  me  and 
Cincinnati.  I  crossed  the  Mississippi  a  few  miles  above  the 
mouth  of  the  Missouri.  Just  before  I  came  to  the  bank  of 
the  Mississippi,  the  nearness  of  which  was  concealed  by  a 


68 


forest,  a  muddy  creek  crossed  my  path,  to  appearance 
not  more  than  3  feet  deep.  I  tried  my  horse  at  three 
places  but  he  refused  to  go.  I  thought  him  obstinate  and 
struck  him  severely,  when  to  my  utter  astonishment  I 
found  him  swimming  under  me.  The  opposite  bank  was 
so  steep  I  had  to  swim  him  some  distance  before  he  could 
effect  a  landing.  On  my  arrival  at  the  ferry,  I  learnt 
that  I  had  crossed  a  creek  of  back  water  from  the  Mis¬ 
sissippi,  then  so  high  as  to  conceal  the  bridge.  My  pa¬ 
pers  I  saved  by  drying  them  with  care.  After  crossing 
the  river,  I  passed  through  Alton  and  Milton  in  Madi¬ 
son  county,  Illinois,  both  inconsiderable  villages,  with  oc¬ 
casional  preaching  from  the  Methodist  circuit  riders  and 
the  Presbyterian  missionaries.  They  have  a  population 
of  from  50  to  a  100  souls. — On  the  same  day  I  ar¬ 
rived  at  Edwardsville  the  county  town  of  Madison  county. 
It  contains  nearly  300  inhabitants.  There  is  a  society 
of  General  Assembly  Presbyterians,  also  of  Cumberland 
Presbyterians,  and  a  few  Baptists.  The  preacher  of  the 
Cumberland  Presbyterians  is  a  farmer,  and  resides  in  a 
log  cabin  near  the  village  ;  I  called  at  his  house,  or  cabin, 
and  was  kindly  received.  There  are  a  few  scattered 
Christians  in  the  township,  but  I  did  not  see  any  of  them. 
Gov.  Coles,  the  only  person  in  the  town  to  whom  I  had 
letters,  was  absent ;  so  that  I  had  no  letters  to  deliver 
between  Edwardsville  and  Terre  Haute. — Friday,  7th 
July,  I  stopped  at  Greenville,  the  seat  of  justice  in  Bond 
county;  it  is  much  smaller  than  Edwardsville.  It  has  a 
small  meeting-house  for  the  accommodation  of  any  that 
will  use  it. — On  the  8th  I  stopped  at  Vandalia,  the  seat  of 
government  in  Illinois.  It  formerly  had  a  population  of 
6  or  700,  its  present  population  is  about  200.  On  Sun¬ 
day  I  expected  to  attend  the  different  churches  at  Van¬ 
dalia,  but  on  inquiry  I  found  there  was  but  one  meeting 
in  town  on  that  day  ;  and  that  was  called  by  a  Methodist 
visitor.  The  Presbyterians  occupy  the  state  house,  a 
small  two  story  brick  building,  whenever  they  have  a 
preacher.  In  the  evening  I  left  Vandalia  and  followed  a 
southeast  course  so  as  to  meet  the  road  leading  from  Vin¬ 
cennes  to  St  Louis :  otherwise  I  should  have  been 

/ 

obliged  to  lie  out  two  nights  on  the  grand  prarie. — I  pass- 


69 


ed  through  Lawrenceville,  the  seat  of  justice  for  Law¬ 
rence  county.  It  is  a  small  village  and  has  neither  meeting 
houses  nor  preachers,  except  occasional  visitors  or  some 
of  the  gifted  brethren.  It  has  a  population  of  59  or  60 
souls.  The  same  day  I  arrived  at  Ellison  Prairie,  oppo¬ 
site  Vincennes,  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Wabash.  This 
prairie  is  10  or  12  miles  in  extent,  and  is  settled  almost 
exclusively  by  Christians.  It  is  generally  known  by  the 
name  of  “The  Christian  Settlement.”  There  are  nearly 
200  in  the  settlement,  and  it  is  by  far  the  largest  and  best 
‘  improvement’  I  have  seen  in  Illinois.  This  is  saying  much 
in  their  favor,  though  not  more  than  their  industry,  good 
order,  and  Christian  charity  justly  claim.  The  superi¬ 
ority  of  their  settlement  does  not  consist  in  fine  houses, 
for,  like  most  others  in  the  State,  their  dwellings  are 
built  of  logs ;  their  grounds  are  well  enclosed  and  culti¬ 
vated,  their  gardens  neat  though  plain,  and  their  good 
habits,  manners,  and  morals  proverbial,  notwithstanding 
the  strong  prejudices  of  sectarianism.  Near  this  settle¬ 
ment  is  the  residence  cf  William  Kinkade,  a  man  of  clas¬ 
sical  education  and  one  of  the  leading  elders  of  the  so- 
ciety.  He  spends  his  time  in  preaching  when  able 
to  ride,  and  in  keeping  school  when  his  health  is  too 
infirm  to  admit  of  his  travelling.  I  did  not  see  him,  for 
he  was  quite  unwell  when  I  was  at  the  settlement,  so  much 
so  that  he  was  confined  to  his  bed  ;  besides,  I  had  passed 
his  house  12  miles  before  1  knew  where  he  lived.  After 
leaving  Ellison  Prairie  I  crossed  the  Wabash,  and  entered 
Indiana  at  Vincennes.5’ 

“  July  12th,  I  left  Vincennes  for  Terre  Haute,  distant 
60  miles.  On  my  way  thither,  I  passed  through  a  village  of 
Shakers,  situated  on  the  Wabash,  12  miles  north  of  Vin¬ 
cennes.  The  village  is  remarkable  for  that  neatness  and 
simplicity,  which  are  so  eminently  characteristics  of  the 
Shakers.  The  society  consists  of  nearly  100  members; 
they  are  here,  as  well  as  in  other  places,  accused  by  the 
“  world’s  people  ”  of  secret  meetings  for  immoral  purpo¬ 
ses  ;  it  yet  remains  with  the  accusers  to  prove  the  charge. 
— In  the  evening,  I  arrived  at  Miriam,  on  the  Wabash, 
and  the  seat  of  justice  for  Sullivan  county.  The  vil¬ 
lage  contains  15  or  20  families. — Terre  Haute,  the  shire 


70 


town  of  Vigo  county,  is  also  on  the  Wabash.  It  has  a 
population  of  about  300 ;  one  Presbyterian,  and  one 
Methodist  society  ;  also  a  few  Baptists  and  Christians, 
though  not  sufficiently  numerous,  in  the  immediate 
neighborhood  of  the  village,  to  support  regular  preaching. 
The  Methodists  have  a  house  for  public  worship,  and 
preaching  as  often  as  their  minister  performs  his  circuit. 
The  Presbyterians  occupy  the  court-house.  A  few  miles 
southwest  from  the  town,  on  the  Illinois  side  of  the  river, 
is  the  residence  of  two  eminent  preachers  in  the  Chris¬ 
tian  church,  David  McGahey,  and  Henry  A.  Palmer.  I 
should  have  visited  them,  had  they  not  been  absent  on  a 
preaching  tour. — Having  learnt  that  the  first  30  miles  of 
my  way  towards  Indianopolis,  the  seat  of  government, 
was  through  a  thick  forest,  without  a  single  habitation, 
and  no  road  other  than  a  bridle  way,  which  was  often 
concealed  by  thickets,  I  began  to  make  some  inquiries 
what  course  to  pursue,  when  fortunately  I  met  with  a 
man  who  had  lately  passed  through  the  same  forest,  and 
was  now  ready  to  return.  We  provided  provender  for 
our  horses,  and  set  forward  on  our  journey.  During  the 
twilight,  we  crossed  the  ford  at  Eel  river,  and  soon  ar¬ 
rived  at  Bowling  Green,  the  shire  town  of  Clay  county. 
This  county  was  lately  set  off,  and  the  shire  town  con¬ 
sists  of  three  log  cabins,  in  one  of  which  I  spent  the 
night.  The  area  in  which  these  cabins  are  built,  and  on 
which  the  trees  have  been  felled  and  burnt,  contains  3 
acres,  and  is  surrounded  on  every  side  by  the  primitive 
forest.- — The  next  day  I  rode  to  Spencer,  the  seat  of 
justice  for  Owen  county,  in  hopes  of  attending  meeting  ; 
but  on  my  arrival,  I  learnt  that  there  was  no  meeting  in 
the  place,  though  the  Methodists  sometimes  have  preach¬ 
ing.  The  village  contains  60  or  70  inhabitants  ;  it  is 
situated  on  the  bank  of  White  river,  which  is  generally 
thought  sufficient  to  support  steamboat  navigation,  during 
the  spring  months,  as  high  up  as  Indianopolis  ;  it  is  of 
course  increasing  fast. — Bloomington,  the  shire  town  of 
Monroe  county,  where  I  next  stopped,  has  a  population 
of  more  than  300,  a  Presbyterian,  a  Methodist,  and  a 
Christian  society.  In  the  skirts  of  the  village  are  two 
camp  grounds  with  booths  for  public  worship.  The 


n 


Christians  in  Bloomington  and  its  vicinity  constitute  a 
numerous  and  respectable  part  of  the  community.  I 
called  on  brother  Henderson,  a  Christian  preacher,  and 
was  received  with  joy  when  I  made  known  the  object  of 
my  visit.  He  and  his  family  had  just  returned  from  a 
communion  meeting,  which  continued  through  Saturday 
and  Sunday.  He  said  they  had  a  happy  meeting,  that 
five  had  professed  religion,  and  that  perfect  order  and 
Christian  conduct  prevailed  throughout  the  meeting.  He 
also  informed  me  that  there  were  five  churches  in  the  vici¬ 
nity,  consisting  of  from  50  to  100  members  each.  He  was 
pleased  to  hear  of  the  progress  of  “  that  Christian  liberty 
wherewith  Christ  hath  made  us  free,”  in  the  Eastern 
States,  and  was  desirous  to  establish  Christian  fellowship, 
by  correspondence  and  cooperation.  There  is  one  clas¬ 
sically  educated  preacher  in  this  neighborhood,  who 
belongs  to  the  Christian  church. — In  the  evening,  I 
continued  my  journey  towards  Indianopolis,  where  I 
arrived  on  the  night  of  the  18th,  having  passed  through 
Martinsville,  the  shire  town  of  Morgan  county,  con¬ 
taining  about  80  or  40  inhabitants,  without  meeting¬ 
house  or  minister.  I  called  on  brother  Morris,  a  lawyer, 
and  a  preacher  in  the  Christian  church.  He  informed 
me  that  there  were  two  churches  of  his  denomination 
near  to  him,  one  on  Eagle  creek,  the  other  just  north 
of  the  town.  (You  will  recollect,  when  only  two  or 
three  churches  are  mentioned  in  a  county,  that,  in  this 
part  of  Indiana,  it  is  not  unfrequently  the  case,  that  the 
village  at  the  county  seat  constitutes  the  only  one  in  the 
county  ;  and  that  the  other  4  improvements,’  of  which 
there  are  but  few,  are  generally  scattered  along  some 
fertilizing  stream,  at  such  a  distance  from  each  other, 
as  to  render  weekly  meetings  impracticable.)  There  are 
three  organized  churches  in  addition  to  these  :  the  Pres¬ 
byterian,  consisting  of  about  30  members ;  the  Baptist,  of 
nearly  the  same  number  ;  and  the  Methodist,  of  nearly 
100.  I  was  introduced  to  a  gentleman,  formerly  of  Bos¬ 
ton,  who  informed  me  that  Indianopolis  was  healthy, 
with  the  exception  of  the  intermittent  fever  in  the  fall 
season  ;  this  however,  is  probably  owing  to  the  newness 
of  the  place,  and  the  surrounding  woods,  as  there  are  but 


about  six  acres  from  which  the  primitive  forests  have 
been  cleared  away.  In  addition  to  this,  the  surrounding 
country  is  remarkably  levei  ;  and  White  river,  on  which 
the  town  is  built,  is  of  course  a  sluggish  stream.  The 
present  population  is  about  800 ;  as  the  seat  of  govern¬ 
ment  is  now  permanently  established  in  this  place,  its 
increase  will  probably  be  rapid.  Religious  sects  are  here 
so  divided,  that  a  man's  religious  tenets  cannot  render 
him  very  unpopular,  as  neither  sect  is  more  numerous 
than  all  the  others  ;  for  this  reason,  there  is  more  free¬ 
dom  of  inquiry,  and  less  persecution,  than  usually  pre¬ 
vails  where  one  denomination  outnumbers  all  the  others. 
— July  20th,  I  left  Indianopolis  for  Rushville,  distant  40 
miles.  I  started  early  in  the  morning,  and  rode  diligently 
all  day,  and  at  night  I  had  travelled  but  20  miles.  The 
road  lay  through  a  thick  forest,  and  the  mud  was  so  deep, 
and  the  bridges  such,  that  I  was  obliged  to  make  my  way 
among  thickets,  swamps,  and  fallen  trees,  at  the  expense 
of  having  my  clothes  literally  torn  from  me.  I  crossed 
the  ford  at  Blue  river,  along  which  there  are  several  set¬ 
tlements.  I  here  called  on  brother  Frazier,  who  visits 
two  churches  in  his  vicinity.  He  said  there  was  a  Bap¬ 
tist  church  of  60  or  70  members  near  by,  the  minister  of 
which  often  attended  the  Christian  church,  and  assisted 
him  in  its  duties;  and  that  the  Baptists,  though  most  of 
them  held  to  ciose  communion,  had  not  as  yet  found 
fault  with  him.  He  thought  there  was  a  prospect  of  a 
union  of  their  societies.  This  is  the  effect  of  charity, 
brotherly  love,  and  good  works  among  the  Christians. 
Having  repaired,  as  well  as  I  could,  the  defects  which 
my  ride  had  occasioned  in  my  wardrobe,  I  proceeded 
to  Rushville,  the  seat  of  justice  for  Rush  county :  it 
has  nearly  100  inhabitants,  with  no  meeting-house,  other 
than  the  court-house. — Continuing  my  route  homewards, 
I  passed  through  Connersville,  the  shire  town  of  Fayette 
county ;  it  contains  300  inhabitants,  and  three  churches, 
Methodist,  Presbyterian,  and  Baptist.  As  I  wished  to 
be  at  Paris  on  Sunday,  I  stopped  here  but  a  short  time, 
and  of  course  learnt  little  else  than  what  I  have  mention¬ 
ed.  The  same  day  I  passed  through  Centreville,  the 
county  seat  of  Wayne.  Here  also  I  staid  but  a  few 


73 


minutes,  and  in  the  evening  proceeded  to  Richmond, 
where  I  spent  the  night.  Centreville  is  about  as  large  as 
Connersviile  ;  a  large  part  of  the  inhabitants  are  Quakers. 
Richmond  has  a  population  of  600,  of  which  one  half  are 
Quakers.  There  is  a  Baptist  and  a  Methodist  society,  also 
a  congregation  of  Africans  ;  they  were  drawn  thither  by 
the  Quakers,  who  afford  every  assistance  in  their  power 
both  to  runaway  slaves  and  free  blacks.  The  Quakers  are 
Unitarian  in  most  of  their  opinions,  and  charitable  to¬ 
wards  all  denominations.” 

“  Sunday,  2*3d,  I  rode  out  7  miles,  to  Paris,  a  small  vil¬ 
lage,  in  Preble  county,  Ohio,  where  the  Christians  are 
very  numerous.  I  breakfasted  with  Elder  Purviance, 
joined  them  in  their  family  devotions,  (a  duty,  the  omis¬ 
sion  of  which,  in  a  Christian  family,  I  have  not  known, 
in  a  single  instance,)  and  then  repaired  to  church.  The 
church  a  convenient  building,  situated  near  a  spring, 
which  to  them  is  a  matter  of  no  small  importance,  as 
in  the  warm  season  they  assemble  early,  and  stay  till 
night.  The  congregation  consisted  of  perhaps  more  than 
250  persons  :  they  conducted  themselves  in  as  orderly  a 
manner  during  the  services,  and  the  day,  as  any  class  of 
Christians  in  the  world.  There  was  no  illaudable  enthu¬ 
siasm,  either  in  the  preacher  or  hearers.  I  was  solicited 
to  take  a  part  in  the  exercises,  which  I  declined,  as  there 
were  two  ministers  present,  one  of  whom  preached  in  the 
forenoon,  and  the  other  in  the  afternoon.  Elder  Purvi¬ 
ance  preached  to  them  from  John  xxi.  15,  16,  17.  “  Si¬ 

mon,  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou  me,  &,c.”  The  object  of 
his  discourse  seemed  to  be  to  impress  his  hearers  with 
the  importance  of  showing  their  love  to  their  master,  by 
leading  peaceable  and  holy  lives  ;  by  ministering  in  good 
works  and  kind  offices  to  each  other,  to  the  disciples  of 
their  common  Lord,  of  whatever  denomination,  and  to  the 
world  at  large.  Though  he  spoke  in  a  rude  and  simple 
style,  I  have  seldom  heard  a  more  affectionate  exhortation 
to  lead  righteous  and  sober  lives,  and  to  live  peaceably 
with  all  men.  In  the  afternoon  services,  a  portion  of  time 
was  allowed  to  an  African.  The  circumstances  were 
these  :  he  had  formerly  been  a  slave  to  one  who  is  now 
a  preacher  in  the  society  ;  he  had  run  away  and  not  been 

7 


74 


heard  of  for  30  years  ;  on  that  morning  he  returned  to 
his  master,  having  learnt  that  he  had  freed  his  slaves,  and 
said  that  he  was  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church,  and 
had  long  preached  to  his  brethren  in  slavery.  '  He  solicit¬ 
ed  an  opportunity  to  address  the  congregation,  after  the 
regular  services,  which  was  granted.  He  was  listened  to 
with  decorum  ;  his  remarks  were  good,  and  he  appeared 
sincere.  Elder  Purviance,  whom  I  have  before  men- 
\tioned,  is  one  of  the  oldest  Christian  preachers  in  the 
West.  He  devoted  the  early  part  of  his  life  to  political 
affairs,  but  becoming  tired  of  the  wranglings  and  petty 
jealousies  of  a  political  career,  he  has  since  devoted  him¬ 
self  to  the  church.  Pie  has  literally  spent  his  latter  years 
going  about  doing  good.” 

Mr  Thomas  next  visited  Oxford,  Butler  county,  Ohio, 
of  which  he  thus  speaks : 

“  Oxford  is  the  seat  of  Miami  University.  This  insti¬ 
tution  was  chartered  in  1809,  and  a  township  of  land 
given  in  fee  simple  by  Congress,  which  affords  them  an 
annual  revenue  of  §4000  ;  in  addition  to  this,  it  has 
been  particularly  patronized  by  the  state  legislature. 
The  main  edifice  and  one  wing  of  the  building  are  com¬ 
pleted  :  the  plan  is  such,  that  the  wings  may  be  extended 
as  the  institution  increases,  and  still  add  to  the  beauty 
of  the  structure.  The  first  regular  class  graduated  this 
fall  ;  there  are  100  students.  I  attended  evening  prayers 
in  the  chapel ;  the  exercises  consisted  in  part,  of  the  re¬ 
citation  of  a  stated  number  of  texts  by  individuals  called 

* 

upon  at  the  discretion  of  the  President.  The  members 
of  the  senior  class  with  the  exception  of  four  are  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  Presbyterian  church  :  the  Presbyterian  meet¬ 
ing  is  also  held  in  the  University  chapel.  There  is  a 
meeting-house  in  the  village  for  the  Methodists  and  Bap¬ 
tists.  The  site  of  the  town  is  pleasant  and  healthy  ;  it 
is  situated  on  a  gentle  swell  of  land,  which  renders  it  very 
pleasant  to  a  traveller  in  this  uncommonly  level  country. 
The  village  has  a  population  of  200  and  is  fast  increas- 
mg. 

“  25th  July,  I  arrived  at  Cincinnati.  This  is  the  largest 
city  west  of  the  mountains,  it  contains  15,000  inhabit¬ 
ants.  The  religious  denominations  are  as  follows  ; 


75 


Methodists  between  8  and  900,  Presbyterians  400, 
Quakers  180;  there  are  also  a  large  Episcopal  society, 
two  of  Baptists,  one  of  Covenanters,  one  of  Catholics, 
and  one  of  Christians.  The  Methodists  have  two 
ehurches,  the  Presbyterians  two,  and  the  others  one 
each.  There  are  many  who  profess  Unitarian  principles, 
and  they  are  among  the  most  respectable  people  in  the 
city.  They  are  anxious  to  establish  a  Unitarian  society, 
and  would  do  much  to  support  one.  Had  they  a  church 
1  doubt  not  that  they  would  support  a  minister  well.  A 
place  of  such  importance  is  well  worth  the  attention  of 
all  who  feel  interested  in  the  cause  of  liberal  Christian¬ 
ity.— I  will  give  you  a  sketch  of  the  conduct  at  a 
prayer  meeting  in  the  city,  which  I  happened  to  attend. 
One  evening  as  X  was  walking  the  streets,  I  heard 
screams,  as  though  several  people  were  in  distress  :  I 
hastened  to  the  place  whence  the  noise  came,  and  found 
near  100  persons,  men,  women  and  children,  assem¬ 
bled  at  a  prayer  meeting.  They  prayed  and  sung  al¬ 
ternately.  While  one  was  praying,  others  encouraged 
him  with  expressions  like  these,  “  O  Jesus !  how  good  he 
prays  !”  “  A’nt  that  right  good,  Lord  \”  “ 1  can  conquer  a 
thousand  !  ”  “  Yes,’5  says  another,  “  and  leap  over  a 

wall !  ”  And  in  short,  some  burst  into  laughter,  others 
into  crying,  some  hurra’d,  and  others  groaned.  Deaf¬ 
ened  and  confused  with  their  clamor,  and  shocked  at 
their  worship ,  I  soon  left  them.” 

Mr  Thomas  on  his  return  fulfilled  a  promise  given  to 
Mr  Stone,  that  he  would  visit  him  again,  on  his  way  from 
the  West.  Of  this  visit  and  of  his  journey  through 
Ohio  towards  New  England  he  thus  writes. 

O 

“On  Monday  I  set  out  for  Georgetown  to  visit  Mr  Stone, 
where  I  arrived  August  2d.  He  told  me  he  had  con¬ 
sulted  several  of  his  brethren,  and  they  had  concluded 
that  it  was  not  expedient  for  them  to  procure  the  publica¬ 
tions  of  the  Association  to  a  large  amount  at  present,  as 
they  had  lately  made  considerable  exertions  to  republish 
Worcester’s  Bible  News,  and  to  establish  a  paper  devoted 
to  the  Christian  interest.  He  also  said  they  had  done 
much  to  support  missionaries  in  the  upper  parts  of  Illi¬ 
nois  and  Indiana,  and  in  Tennessee,  Alabama  and  Mis- 


76 


sissippi.  They  also  wish  their  brethren  in  general  to  learn, 
that  although  we  have  taken  what  may  seem  the  name  of  a 
party  instead  of  the  simple  name  Christians,  we  have  not 
set  ourselves  up  as  holy  to  the  exclusion  of  all  who  differ 
from  us  in  opinion.  He  added,  that  it  was  from  secta¬ 
rian  quarrels,  and  the  unholy  feelings  that  attend  them, 
that  they  had  been  forced  to  separate  themselves  from  all 
sectarians,  and  assume  the  primitive  name  of  Christians. 
At  the  time  of  my  visit  he  was  about  starting  on  a  preach¬ 
ing  tour  to  Tennessee  and  Alabama.  I  took  leave  of 
this  happy,  this  good  man,  sincerely  regretting  that  my 
personal  acquaintance  with  so  kind  and  hospitable  a  fami¬ 
ly  was  probably  at  an  end.” 

“  Having,  as  I  returned  from  Indiana,  visited  some  of 
the  western  counties  of  Ohio,  and  having  previously  visit¬ 
ed  the  eastern  and  southern  counties,  I  concluded  that 
a  rapid  progress  through  the  centre  of  the  State  would 
occupy  all  the  time  I  could  profitably  spend  in  the  West. 
I  therefore  sold  my  horse  in  Lexington,  and  proceeded 
by  public  conveyances  to  Dayton,  the  first  important 
place  on  the  nothern  route  from  Cincinnati  to  the  Lakes. 
Dayton  is  a  large  township,  containing  about  3600  in¬ 
habitants.  The  town  is  situated  on  the  Great  Miami, 
and  has  several  convenient  buildings  for  public  worship. 
There  is  a  society  of  Christians  a  mile  from  the  village. 
In  this  town,  as  throughout  this  State,  the  habits  and 
morals  of  the  people  are  more  like  those  of  New  Eng¬ 
land  than  in  any  of  the  neighboring  States  ;  better  atten¬ 
tion  is  paid  to  the  sabbath  and  to  public  worship.  Games 
and  sports,  which  are  prevalent  in  many  places  on  the 
sabbath,  are  here  prohibited  ;  the  shops  are  closed,  and 
all  unnecessary  business  is  suspended.  The  religious 
opinions  of  the  people  are  generally  those  of  the  State 
from  which  they  emigrated  ;  there  are  therefore  many 
different  denominations.  The  Methodists  are  the  most 
numerous,  and  the  Presbyterians  next. — After  leaving 
Dayton  I  passed  through  several  small  villages,  and  on 
Saturday  night,  August  12th,  arrived  at  Columbus  the  seat 
of  government  of  Ohio,  where  I  spent  the  sabbath.  Co¬ 
lumbus  contains  1400  inhabitants.  The  Methodists  are 
very  numerous  ;  in  the  town  and  county  they  number 


77 


1300  ;  the  enthusiasm  and  vehemence  displayed  in  their 
devotions,  exceed  description.  On  Sunday  night  as  I 
lay  in  my  bed  at  the  distance  of  half  a  mile,  I  could  hear 
them  distinctly.  The  Presbyterian  society  have  a  con¬ 
gregation  of  300.  Their  minister  is  a  man  of  talents 
and  education  ;  their  church  is  a  one  story  wooden  build¬ 
ing,  which  is  soon  to  give  place  to  a  new  one.  There 
is  also  a  Lutheran  church  and  society,  and  a  few  Bap¬ 
tists.  The  Christians  are  few  and  unorganized.  I  was 
much  pleased  with  the  quiet  and  good  order  which  pre¬ 
vailed  on  the  sabbath  ;  it  seemed  like  home. — Monday 
noon  brought  me  to  Mount  Vernon  the  seat  of  justice 
for  Knox  county.  It  has  a  population  of  400  :  there  is 
a  respectable  Presbyterian  church  and  society  *  there  is 
also  a  society  of  Christians  under  the  care  of  Judge 
Smith,  they  are  increasing  fast  ;  I  spent  the  evening  with 
him,  during  which  he  exhibited  a  strong  interest  in  what¬ 
ever  related  to  our  proceedings,  and  wished  that  epistolary 
intercourse  might  ensue. — On  Wednesday  I  reached 
Ravenna,  where  I  had  business  of  a  pecuniary  nature. 
After  one  day’s  delay  I  proceeded  to  Cleveland  on 
Lake  Erie,  where  I  arrived  on  Friday. — Having  learned 
that  I  should  be  obliged  to  tarry  several  days  or  proceed 
immediately,  and  having  ascertained  from  inquiries  of 
my  host,  and  of  gentlemen  who  were  present,  that  the 
place  was  important,  only  from  its  local  situation,  I 
embarked  in  the  night,  and  proceeded  by  the  most  direct 
course  for  Massachusetts,  where  I  arrived  September  9th, 
having  been  absent  five  months ;  during  which  time  I 
passed  through  twelve  States,  visited  fifteen  counties  in 
Pennsylvania,  twentyfive  in  Ohio,  twelve  in  Kentucky, 
twentytwo  in  Indiana,  twelve  in  Illinois,  and  two  in 
Missouri,  and  travelled  between  four  and  five  thou¬ 
sand  miles,  and  one  half  of  the  distance  on  horseback. ” 


7# 


78 


In  the  abstract  of  Intelligence,  furnished  by  Mr  Thomas 
after  his  return,  there  was  much  necessary  repetition,  and 
many  remarks  were  made,  which  were  meant  only  for 
the  perusal  of  the  Committee.  In  these  private  details 
they  possess  information  which  will  guide  and  assist 
them,  if  at  any  future  time  they  should  wish  to  extend 
their  operations  into  the  Western  States.  It  may  be 
agreeable  to  the  readers  of  the  previous  narrative,  to  see 
the  following  extracts,  which,  it  is  thought,  may  with  pro¬ 
priety  be  published. 

“  In  a  previous  correspondence,  it  was  my  object  to 
communicate  information  respecting  all  denominations  of 
Christians  in  that  section  of  the  country,  which  was  the 
scene  of  my  inquiries.  I  shall  now  confine  my  remarks 
to  those  places  which  afford  the  widest  field  for  exer¬ 
tion,  and  promise  most  success  to  the  friends  of  liberal 
Christianity,  and  to  those  engaged  in  the  great  work  of 
salvation. 

“  In  a  country  like  Ohio  and  the  States  west  of  it,  where 
a  new  population  is  thinly  scattered  over  a  wide  extent 
of  territory,  where  from  the  rapid  increase  of  population 
villages  spring  up  as  it  were  while  men  sleep,  where  too, 
in  many  instances,  there  are  no  settled  ministers,  it  would 
seem  that  missionary  exertions  might  be  extremely  use¬ 
ful,  and  their  usefulness  increase  in  proportion  to  the  in¬ 
flux  of  population  ;  but  this  plan  of  spreading  religious 
knowledge,  viewed  in  connexion  with  the  present  state 
of  liberal  Christianity,  and  the  manner  in  which  its  teach¬ 
ers  are  educated,  is  liable  to  objections  which  would  ren¬ 
der  it  less  useful,  than  that  of  forming  establishments 
in  large  towns  and  cities.  Those,  who  are  pioneers  in 
settling  a  new  country,  are  not  unfrequently  more  engaged 
in  beginning  the  world  anew,  than  in  preparing  to  leave 
it.  They  are  generally  cf  that  class,  among  whom  any¬ 
thing  new  must  force  its  way  in  opposition  to  prejudice 
and  bigotry,  made  doubly  strong  through  the  absence  of 
those  views  and  feelings  which  aie  consequent  only  to 
education  and  good  learning.  They  have  not  among 
them  that  society,  which  would  serve  to  animate  the  exer¬ 
tions  and  encourage  the  labors  of  good  ministers,  who 


79 


alone  can  be  efficient  as  missionaries ,  neither  will  such 
men  forego  the  benefits  of  that  society,  which  will  proper¬ 
ly  appreciate  their  talents  and  render  them  doubly  useful 
in  their  day  and  generation,  for  situations  in  which  their 
sphere  of  usefulness  would  be  so  limited,  and  many  of 
their  most  valuable  acquirements  in  a  manner  useless. 

'  Such  places  must  be  left  to  a  class  of  preachers  sui  gen¬ 
eris, ,  who  can  create  that  kind  of  excitement,  and  make 
those  appeals  to  the  feelings,  necessary  to  produce  effect, 
which  men  of  cultivated  minds  and  improved  tastes  can¬ 
not  do  ;  for  with  such  it  must  be  affected,  insincere,  and 
of  course  ineffectual. 

“  On  the  other  hand,  able  men  will  be  willing  to  go  into 
large  towns  or  cities  where  there  will  be  a  suitable  field 
for  the  exertion  of  all  their  talents ;  where  there  are 
ample  means  of  obtaining  a  support ;  where  they  will  be 
able  to  spread  religious  knowledge  through  the  medium 
of  the  press,  as  well  as  from  the  pulpit  and  where  they 
will  be  in  situations  to  continue  those  religious  instruc¬ 
tions  and  exhortations,  which  are  necessary  to  secure  the 
good  fruits  of  Christianity. 

“With  these  views  I  shall  confine  my  remarks  to  those 
towns  and  cities,  in  which  I  have  reason  to  think  the  es¬ 
tablishment  of  Unitarian  preachers  would  be  most  useful 
to  the  cause  of  religion. 

“  Harrisburg ,  (Penn.)  is  the  seat  of  government, 
and  has  a  population  of  3000.  At  the  time  of  my 
visit  the  society  of  Unitarians  was  small,  compared 
with  churches  in  this  vicinity.  It  was  increasing 
as  rapidly  as  could  be  expected  under  the  circum¬ 
stances  of  its  situation.  A  few  tracts  had  been  procur¬ 
ed,  and  had  carried  conviction  to  the  minds  of  many. 
Harrisburg  is  an  important  place,  not  only  as  the  capital 
of  the  state,  but  in  its  location  and  population.  During 
the  session  of  the  legislature,  many  of  the  members  at¬ 
tend  the  meetings  of  the  Unitarian  society,  as  often 
as  they  have  preaching.  The  society  is  composed  of 
the  most  respectable  class  of  the  inhabitants.  I  know 
of  no  reason  why  assistance  would  not  be  profitably  af¬ 
forded  to  them. 

“  In  Northumberland  and  its  vicinity,  Mr  Kay  has 


so 


opened  a  wide  field  for  missionary  labors,  and  can,  only 
at  long  intervals,  visit  all  the  places  where  he  is  request¬ 
ed  to  preach. 

i(  Pittsburg,  (Penn.)  is  a  large  and  flourishing  city. 
The  Unitarians  here  have  a  convenient  meeting  house,  a 
handsome  brick  building,  situated  nearly  in  the  centre  of 
the  city.  They  are,  however,  in  debt  for  the  building,  and 
are  obliged  to  pay  a  ground  rent  of  §100  a  year.  Their 
present  preacher  was  formerly  a  methodist  minister  ;  he 
was  excommunicated  for  his  religious  views  ;  he  preaches 
extempore,  and  is  not  a  regular  pastor,  neither  does  he 
make  preaching  his  profession.  They  are  desirous  to 
obtain  a  pastor.  There  is  reason  to  suppose  a  large  so¬ 
ciety  might  be  collected,  and  much  good  done  by 
an  able  preacher.  Their  former  minister  used  to  gain 
a  partial  support  by  teaching  a  school.  The  situation 
is  important  and  the  number  and  character  of  the  inhab¬ 
itants,  collected  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  show  that 
preaching  is  here  necessary,  if  anywhere.  The  condi¬ 
tion  of  this  society  calls  loudly  for  the  attention  of  those 
who  have  to  spare.  It  must  also  be  considered,  that  they 
have  no  neighboring  minister,  occasionally  to  give  them 
sermons. 

“  Steubenville,  (Ohio)  is  the  next  place  that  I  shall 
mention  as  favorable  for  missionary  exertions.  It  is  situ¬ 
ated  immediately  on  the  bank  of  the  Ohio,  at  the  distance 
of  30  miles  from  Pittsburg,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  fruitful, 
healthy,  and  thickly  settled  country.  Here  is  a  society 
of  Unitarian  Christians.  In  the  town  and  county,  there 
are  many  Friends,  who  are,  generally,  favorable  to  Uni¬ 
tarian  views  of  Christianity.  Several  of  the  leading  men 
in  the  place  are  from  New  England,  and  are  desirous  of 
forming  a  society.  Steubenville  is  so  near  Pittsburg, 
that  they  might  be  associated,  and  I  doubt  not  that  be¬ 
tween  the  two  places  they  would  support  a  missionary. 
At  almost  all  seasons  of  the  year,  boats  are  passing  con¬ 
tinually  from  one  place  to  the  other,  so  that  the  expense 

of  time  and  monev  would  be  inconsiderable.  I  am  con- 

•/ 

fident,  that  a  zealous  and  devoted  man  might  build  up 
and  increase  a  church  in  both  these  places.  Steuben¬ 
ville  has  several  manufacturing  establishments,  two  or 


81 


three  banks,  an  academy,  and  a  printing  office.  Under 
these  circumstances,  I  should  think  no  one  who  has  enter¬ 
ed  the  profession  with  right  motives,  and  who  is  not  else¬ 
where  engaged  in  the  ministry,  would  hesitate  to  go,  and 
labor  where  the  harvest  is  indeed  great,  but  the  laborers 
few. 

“  Marietta ,  (Ohio)  is  also  situated  on  the  Ohio,  over 
100  miles  from  Steubenville.  It  was  one  of  the  first  settle¬ 
ments  made  in  the  State.  It  is  laid  out  in  fine  taste,  and  is 
adorned  with  many  elegant  buildings,  both  public  and 
private.  A  paper  is  here  printed ;  there  is  also  an  acade¬ 
my.  A  large  number  of  the  inhabitants  do  not  attend 
the  Presbyterian  or  the  Methodist  church,  and  are  called 
Universalists,  though  they  seldom  have  preaching  of  any 
kind.  Among  the  reasons  for  anticipating  success  to  a 
Unitarian  preacher  in  Marietta,  may  be  considered  the 
manner  in  which  religion  is  there  supported.  The  Ohio 
Company  Grant,  including  Washington,  Morgan,  Meigs, 
..  Gallia,  and  one  or  two  other  counties,  was  given  or  grant¬ 
ed  on  the  condition,  that  one  out  of  a  particular  num¬ 
ber  of  districts  should  be  rented  land  for  the  support 
of  religion.  Marietta  is  a  rented  district ;  the  inhabit¬ 
ants  are  obliged  to  pay  a  stated  rent  in  support  of  reli¬ 
gion.  Thus  each  sect  gets  all  the  signers  it  can,  and 
draws  money  in  proportion  to  its  numbers.  I  was  told 
that  the  Universalists  were  the  most  numerous  and  drew 
the  largest  share  of  money  ;  but  instead  of  procuring  a 
preacher,  they  have  appropriated  it  to  the  purchase  of  a 
library.  This  shows  that  they  are  not  anxious  to  build 
up  the  Universalist  faith.  I  think  many  of  them  would 
give  their  support  to  a  Unitarian  minister.  There  are 
likewise  many  who  are  Unitarians  at  heart.  Though 
Marietta  is  not  now  rapidly  increasing,  it  is  so  situated 
that  it  cannot  fail  to  become  a  large  place.  It  is  situated 
not  only  on  the  Ohio,  but  also  on  the  Muskingum.  This 
river  is  navigable  100  miles  for  batteaux,  and  nearly  200 
for  small  boats,  and  from  the  head  of  boat  navigation, 
with  one  mile  of  portage,  there  is  water  communication 
by  Cuyahoga  river  with  lake  Erie.  The  Muskingum  is 
250  yards  wide  at  its  entrance  into  the  Ohio,  and  runs 
through  the  middle  of  the  town. 


82 


(i  Paris ,  (Kentucky.)  Mr  Eastin  has  here  a  small  so¬ 
ciety.  He  is  an  old  man,  and  is  fast  hastening  to  the 
reward  of  his  labors.  When  the  shepherd  shall  be  smit¬ 
ten  ,  I  fear  the  flock  will  be  scattered.  He  is  a  professed 
Unitarian,  and  has  long  been  engaged  in  the  ministry. 
When  he  heard  and  witnessed  the  efforts  of  his  Christian 
brethren  in  the  cause  of  truth,  a  gleam  of  joy  spread  over 
his  countenance,  and  seemed  to  invigorate  his  frame,  al¬ 
ready  exhausted  by  confinement  and  sickness.  Paris  is 
distant  about  17  miles  from  Lexington. 

“  Lexington  and  Louisville ,  (Kentucky.)  In  Lexing¬ 
ton,  I  should  think  Unitarian  efforts  would  avail  but  little. 
In  Louisville,  several  respectable  gentlemen  were  of  opin¬ 
ion,  that  a  popular  Unitarian  preacher  might  soon  esta¬ 
blish  a  good  society.  The  reasons  for  this  opinion,  are 
the  character  of  the  present  preachers,  the  number  of  in¬ 
habitants  who  at  present  seldom  attend  any  church,  and 
the  number  of  literary  men,  who  entertain  liberal  views 
of  religion.  Louisville  is  about  70  miles  distant  from 
Lexington. 

& 't  Louis  and  St  Charles ,  (Missouri.)  These  towns 
are  situated  between  18  and  20  miles  apart.  At  St  Louis 
there  are  many  who  do  not  attend  church,  because  they 
have  not  able  preachers,  nor  men  of  their  sentiments.  At 
St  Charles,  I  could  not  learn  that  there  were  anv  houses 
built  solely  for  public  worship  ;  there  is  certainly  little 
effectual  preaching,  though  there  are  many  who  would 
properly  appreciate,  and  partially  support  a  missionary. 

“  Indianapolis ,  (Indiana)  is  a  new  place,  and  has  been 
but  a  short  time  the  seat  of  government.  There  are  a 
few  men  of  liberal  sentiments,  who  would  be  pleased  with 
a  Unitarian  preacher.  The  field  for  exertion  in  the  minis¬ 
try  at  Indianopolis  is  at  present  limited.  In  the  eastern 
•  part  of  the  State,  in  Fayette,  Franklin,  and  Wayne  coun¬ 
ties,  are  several  fine  villages,  situated  near  together,  where 
I  think  a  missionary  would  have  full  audiences,  and 
might,  by  continued  labors,  do  much  good. 

“  Cincinnati ,  (Ohio)  is  by  far  the  most,  favorable  place 
for  the  establishment  of  a  Unitarian  church  of  any  I  visit¬ 
ed.  There  are  many  professed  Unitarians,  who  are  anx¬ 
ious  for  a  minister  ;  and  all  that  is  wanting  is  a  pious* 


83 


devoted,  and  able  minister,  who  may  be  a  nucleus  around 
which  a  society  and  church  may  be  formed.  I  know  not 
why  a  minister  should  hesitate  to  make  Cincinnati  a  per¬ 
manent  residence. 

“  Because  I  have  mentioned  the  foregoing  places  as 
favorable  for  missionary  efforts,  I  would  have  no  person 
think  that  a  preacher  would  immediately  step  into  a  fine 
meeting-house,  or  into  ample  means  of  support,  or  even 
into  a  church  already  organized  ;  but  rather  into  places, 
where  some  have  neglected  religion  because  they  have 
heard  it  represented  in  a  manner  repugnant  to  rea¬ 
son  and  their  consciences,  others  because  they  have 
seen  it  made  a  matter  of  4  experiences/  confessions,  and 
creeds,  an  austere,  exclusive,  and  gloomy  system  ;  into 
places,  where  one  must  labor  as  becometh  a  minister  of  the 
gospel,  and  reap  the  reward  of  his  labors  in  seeing  a 
church  grow  up  around  him.  Preachers  at  first  may 
promise  themselves  hearers  in  all  these  places,  but.  it  will 
depend  on  their  own  powers  whether  they  interest  and 
retain  them.  They  may  reasonably  calculate  on  a  rapid 
increase  of  strength  and  numbers,  but  their  own  exertions 
must  effect  it,  and  if  they  will  not  devote  all  their  powers 
to  their  profession,  they  ought  not  to  be  supported  in  it. 
I  have  spoken  of  but  few  places  in  Ohio,  not  that  these 
are  the  only  ones  of  which  I  could  speak  favorably,  but 
because  I  should  not  know  where  to  stop,  should  I  under¬ 
take  to  single  them  out.  The  country  lying  south  from 
Columbus,  between  the  Muskingum  and  the  Miami,  is 
filled  with  large,  populous,  and  flourishing  villages,  so  that 
the  whole  time  I  was  absent  would  hardly  be  sufficient  to 
gain  an  accurate  knowledge  of  their  religious  condition. 

“  The  Christians.  It  would  be  useless  to  repeat  here 
their  religious  views  and  opinions.*  As  to  their  religious 
character,  I  was  never  among  more  practical  Christians  in 
my  life.  Family  worship  I  have  never  known  them  to 

*  For  a  full  and  accurate  account  of  the  Christian  Denomination, 
their  history,  sentiments  and  numbers,  reference  may  be  had  to 
a  letter  addressed  by  Rev.  Simon  Clough,  one  of  their  elders,  to  the 
Secretary  of  the  General  Baptist  Assembly  of  England,  which  has 
been  published  in  this  country,  in  a  pamphlet,  and  may  also  be  found 
in  the  Christian  Examiner,  vol.  4,  (for  1827)  pp.  183 — 193. 


S4 


omit  either  at  night  or  morning ;  neither  have  I  ever 
witnessed  over-wrought  enthusiasm  or  extravagance  in 
their  public  or  private  services.  I  often  attended  their 
meetings,  in  different  States,  and  I  never  witnessed  the 
least  disorder  or  impropriety  in  any  of  their  meetings. 
Their  preachers,  though  many  of  them  are  of  the  labor¬ 
ing  class  of  the  community,  are  men  of  strong  minds  and 
good  talents  ;  there  are  also  among  them  many  classical¬ 
ly  educated  men.  They  resemble  the  Methodists  in 
their  mode  of  sending  out  preachers,  and  holding  their 
annual  associations.  Letters  are  sent  from  each  confer¬ 
ence  to  the  other  conferences,  and  are  read  at  the  annual 
meetings ;  so  that  each  conference  is  acquainted  with  the 
success  of  all  the  others.  In  one  -of  these  letters  addres¬ 
sed  from  “  the  elders  and  brethren  of  the  Christian  Con¬ 
ference  on  the  Wabash,*'  they  say,  “it  has  been  determined 
not  to  fellowship  any  person,  as  a  church  member  or  as  a 
preacher,  who  is  in  the  spirit  or  practice  of  slavery.” 
(t  We  feel  as  much  attached  to  the  Bible  as  a  rule  of  faith 
and  government,  as  we  ever  did,  and  feel  determined, 
God  b^ing  our  helper,  to  give  it  precedence  of  all  the 
books  in  the  world.”  In  this  letter  they  speak  of  their 
ministers  under  three  classes — elders,  licensed  preachers, 
and  exhorters.  The  Christians  are  very  numerous  in 
Alabama  and  Tennessee:  also  in  the  vicinity  of  George¬ 
town  (Kentucky.)  A  large  body  of  them  reside  on  El¬ 
lison  Prairie,  (Illinois  ;)  also  at  Bloomington  and  Indiano- 
polis  (Indiana  ; )  at  Paoli  (Indiana )  and  Paris  (Preble 
county,  Ohio.)  These  places  are  among  the  principal 
settlements,  of  which  I  have  named  but  a  few.  I  will 
close  with  the  single  remark,  that  I  was  never  among 
any  class  of  Christians,  who  better  live  up  to  their  pro¬ 
fession,  than  the  Western  Unitarian  Christians.” 


/ 


1st  Series.  No.  28. 

THE 

DOCTRINE 


OF 


RELIGIOUS  EXPERIENCE, 

% 


EXPLAINED  AND  ENFORCED. 


BY  SAMUEL.  BARRETT. 


PRINTED  FOR  THE 

^tnertcan  Slnttattan  &ssoctattou. 


BOSTON, 

LEONARD  C.  BOWLES,  50  WASHINGTON  STREET. 

1829. 


Price  4  Celts. 


BOSTON, 

Press  of  Isaac  R.  Butts. 


RELIGIOUS  EXPERIENCE. 


Experience  worketh  hope,  and  this  hope  maketh  not  ashamed. — Paul. 


The  subject  I  purpose  to  consider  in  these  pages  is 
religious  experience.  I  design  to  offer  some  plain  remarks 
on  the  importance,  misapprehensions,  characteristics,  and 
methods  of  experimental  religion.  A  discourse  embracing 
topics  such  as  these,  cannot  be  deemed  unworthy  the  at¬ 
tention  of  any  who  profess  to  be  disciples  of  Jesus  Christ ; 
since  it  will  be  readily  conceded,  that  the  great  end  of 
his  divine  mission  was  to  make  men  experimentally  ac¬ 
quainted  with  what  religion  unfolds  and  enjoins  ;  and 
since,  as  every  one  must  acknowledge,  there  is  no  point 
upon  which  Christians,  of  whatever  denomination,  ought 
to  find  a  higher  degree  of  satisfaction  in  dwelling,  than 
the  practical  tendencies  of  their  faith. 

I.  In  asking  attention,  in  the  first  place,  to  the  im¬ 
portance  of  experimental  religion,  I  begin  with  ex¬ 
pressing  the  hope  that,  if,  in  any  mind  attached  to  liberal 
views  of  Christianity,  unpleasant  thoughts  are  apt  to  be 
associated  with  the  topic  in  consequence  of  the  extremes 
to  which  some  have  been  forced  in  seasons  of  unusual 


4 


RELIGIOUS  EXFERIEXCE 


52 


excitement,  they  will  not  be  set  to  the  account  of  religious 
experience,  properly  understood,  but  to  that  only  of  the 
extravagances  which  have  at  times  accompanied  it.  The 
thing  itself,  apart  from  its  abuses  and  viewed  in  its  true 
light  and  relations,  can  appear  to  none  more  worthy  of 
deepest  concern,  than  it  ought  to  the  class  of  Christians 
to  which  we  belong.  Indeed,  not  to  attach  infinite  im¬ 
portance  to  the  religion  that  is  truly  experimental,  would 
be  inconsistent  with  our  declared,  nay,  with  our  most 
cherished  principles.  Much  as  we  admire  our  system  of 
faith,  in  a  speculative  regard,  we  know  and  we  teach, 
that  it  must  be  in  vain  for  us  unless  we  make  it  a  matter 
of  individual,  personal  experience.  Were  it  not  for  its 
power  to  enlighten,  sanctify,  and  save  the  soul,  we  should 

V.  « 

account  it  as  a  useless  thing.  For  this  power,  unequalled 
as  we  think  it,  we  esteem  our  faith  above  all  price ;  for 
this  we  cling  to  it  as  to  our  life;  for  this  we  would  not 
shrink  from  any  sacrifice  to  uphold  it  in  the  world.  In¬ 
deed,  there  is  not,  I  am  persuaded,  nor  ever  has  been, 
any  system,  which,  alike  as  to  what  it  denies  of  the  popu¬ 
lar  creed,  as  to  what  it  affirms  to  be  of  revealed  truth,  and 
as  to  what  belongs  to  it  in  common  with  the  notices  we 
are  compelled  to  take  of  human  life  and  divine  provi¬ 
dence,  is  so  well  adapted,  as  Unitarian  Christianity,  to 
commend  the  importance  of  the  religion  that  is  thoroughly 
experimental ;  since,  as  I  sincerely  believe,  there  is,  and 
there  has  been,  none,  which  so  uniformly,  so  decidedly, 
and  so  strongly,  as  this,  asserts  its  claim  and  evinces  its 
power,  to  deepen  the  sense  of  individual  responsibleness, 
to  enforce  the  obligation  of  personal  endeavor,  and  to 
press  home  the  great  truth  that  no  man’s  hopes  ought,  in 
a  religious  respect,  to  be  better  than  his  experiences. 

1 .  First,  can  any  thing  be  better  suited  to  this  end  than 


53 


EXPLAINED  AND  ENFORCED. 


o 


what  our  system  denies  of  the  popular  creed  ?  Why,  but  for 
the  importance  we  attach  to  experimental  religion,  do  we 
deem  it  worthy  of  so  much  effort  to  be  rid  of  those  false 
grounds  of  hope,  that  have  for  ages  prevented  the  doc¬ 
trines  of  Jesus  from  bearing  upon  men’s  consciences 
with  the  pressure  of  unquestionable  truth?  Why  else, 
for  instance,  do  we  plead  no  hereditary  irnpotency  as  an 
excuse  for  our  sins ;  hold  to  no  transfer  of  the  penalty 
of  our  guilt  to  a  substituted  victim ;  trust  in  no  righteous¬ 
ness  as  imputable  to  us  but  our  own ;  cherish  no  hope  of 
special  help  from  heaven  except  we  try  to  help  ourselves ; 
rely  on  no  faith  without  works;  recognize  no  condition 
of  salvation  but  personal  holiness;  depend  on  nothing 
for  acceptance  with  God  but  our  own  character  and  the 
mercy  of  our  heavenly  Father  as  made  known  to  us  by 
his  blessed  Son  ? 

2.  Again,  can  any  thing  more  strongly  evince  the  im¬ 
portance  of  experimental  religion,  than  what  our  system 
affirms  to  be  of  divine  revelation  ?  Why,  but  for  our 
deep  sense  of  this,  do  we  lay  so  much  stress  on  those 
truths  of  scripture,  which  are  practical ;  w7hich  imply  the 
obligations,  suggest  the  motives,  and  prescribe  the  rules 
of  duty;  which,  in  a  word,  require  of  us  the  greatest 
amount  of  virtue  ?  Why,  for  example,  do  we  prize  so 
highly  the  belief  that  we  were  born  with  pure  hearts, 
but  that  we  may  feel  ourselves  bound  to  keep  the  treasure 
unsullied  ;  the  belief  that  w:e  have  the  powrer,  moral  as 
well  as  physical,  to  do  our  duty,  but  that  we  may  not  wait 
for  supernatural  influence  before  we  set  about  it ;  the 
belief  that  God’s  love  to  his  children  is  free,  unmerited, 
and  unbought,  but  that  it  may  touch  our  hearts  and  win 
us  to  an  affectionate  obedience ;  the  belief  that  Jesus 
Christ  was  sent  by  the  Father  to  save  us,  by  affording 

VOL.  III.  1* 


6 


•  RELIGIOUS  EXPERIENCE 


54 


us  methods  and  motives  for  saving  ourselves,  but  that 
we  may  have  no  reason  of  apology  for  not  yielding  to  the 
one  and  using  the  other ;  the  belief  that  there  is  the 
most  intimate  and  enduring  connexion  between  vice  and 
misery,  and  between  virtue  and  happiness,  but  that  we 
may  dread  sin  as  our  worst  enemy,  and  cherish  desires 
of  holiness  that  nothing  can  quench  ] 

3.  Then,  too,  the  notices  we  are  compelled  to  take  of 
human  life  and  divine  providence,  at  once  fall  in  with 
these  views,  and  serve  to  deepen  our  impression  of  the 
importance  that  belongs  to  experimental  religion.  We 
interpret  everything  as  a  caution  against  trusting  to  what 
are  called  death-bed  experiences.  According  to  our 
views,  the  experiment  is  every  day  going  on  that  is  to 
decide  our  future  destiny.  Its  results  are  unaffected  by 
nothing  that  happens  to  us.  We  are  continually  growing 
better  or  worse.  Our  character  is  modified  by  every  step 
we  take,  by  every  thought  we  think,  by  every  feeling  we 
cherish,  by  all  our  movements,  speculations,  and  emo¬ 
tions.  Moment  presses  upon  moment,  day  upon  day, 
and  year  upon  year,  but  no  one  of  them  leaves  us  as  it 
found  us.  We  propitiate  it  in  the  appointed  way,  and  it 
imparts  to  us  its  blessing ;  we  do  it  despite  in  our  folly, 
and  it  marks  us  with  its  curse.  We  use  it  well  as  it 
passes,  and  it  goes  to  bear  witness  for  us  at  the  bar  of 
God.  We  stain  it  with  our  vice,  it  leaves  us,  and  we 
cannot  call  it  back  again  to  take  the  stain  out.  The  cry 
of  penitence  will  not  revoke  the  time  we  have  lost.  No 
tears  of  contrition  can  change  the  pollution  of  guilt  into 
the  purity  of  innocence.  Prayer  to  God  even,  after  we 
have  sinned,  though  it  may  obtain  all  which  forgiveness 
implies,  cannot  make  us  as  we  were  before  w'e  transgress¬ 
ed.  What  we  experience  and  what  we  do  is  fixed  on  the 


55 


EXPLAINED  AND  ENFORCED. 


7 


page  of  truth.  The  record  of  our  virtues  will  be  as  last¬ 
ing  as  our  memory,  and  it  will  not  cease  to  be  a  satisfac¬ 
tion  to  us  such  as  angels  have.  But  the  leaf  in  the 
book  of  our  life  that  we  have  purposely  blotted  we  cannot 
make  clean  again.  The  blot  must  remain  to  fill  us  with 
regrets  whenever  we  look  upon  it. 

With  what  interest,  therefore,  should  notour  experiences 
seem  to  us  clothed.  I  cannot  find  language  to  express 
it  fully.  I  must  leave  it  to  imagination  to  conceive 
what  I  am  unable  to  describe.  If  we  are  to  live  for¬ 
ever,  and  if  all  wc  deliberately  think  and  feel  and  do, 
is  to  have  a  bearing  on  our  future  condition  indefinitely, 
then,  certainly,  the  subject  is  one  of  vast,  one  of  inex¬ 
pressible  importance. 

II.  But  I  must  venture  to  caution  my  readers  against 
some  misapprehensions  that  prevail.  The  subject  is 
not  fully  understood  by  all  who  admit  its  importance.  The 
words,  religious  experience,  are  often  pronounced,  I  sus¬ 
pect,  without  any  clear  conceptions  of  their  true  meaning. 
Religious  experience  itself,  is  frequently  judged  of  by  a 
wrong  standard,  and  specimens  of  it  have  not  seldom 
been  selected  for  imitation,  which  by  no  means  deserved 
such  distinction.  Indeed,  if  I  do  not  greatly  err,  there 
are  more  mistakes  prevalent  in  some  portions  of  the  com¬ 
munity,  as  to  the  operations  and  signs  of  experimental 
religion,  than  in  regard  to  almost  any  other  topic.  It 
may  not  be  useless  to  dwell  for  a  time  upon  some  of 
them. 

1.  In  the  first  place,  then,  I  have  known  persons, 
thought  by  themselves  and  by  their  friends  to  be  the  sub¬ 
jects  of  experimental  religion,  whose  dispositions  and 
pursuits  would  hardly  have  been  different  from  what 
they  were,  if  the  sense  of  God’s  being  and  presence  had 


8 


RELIGIOUS  EXPERIENCE 


56 


been  quenched  in  their  minds,  and  the  future  world  had 
been  to  them  as  a  mere  nonentity.  I  have  seen  them, 
surrounded  by  ease  and  prosperity,  and  honored  in 
the  elegant  exchange  of  the  courtesies  of  society,  pass 
through  life  in  a  sort  of  decent  indifference  to  divine 
things,  and  drop  at  last  into  their  graves  wi  h  scarce  any 
more  vital  religion  than  the  animals  had,  that  were 
perishing  around  them.  And  yet  these  persons  dreamt 
of  having  experienced  religion,  because  they  professed  it, 
and  attended  to  its  forms,  and  talked  about  it,  and  re¬ 
commended  it  to  their  children. 

2.  In  the  next  place,  I  cannot  overlook  an  error, 
the  opposite  to  this,  and  one  that  has  prevailed  more 
than  most  others  in  some  parts  of  our  land,  giving  birth 
to  all  the  disgustful  forms  of  fanaticism,  and  securing  to 
coarse  and  violent  men  an  unrighteous  and  fearful  power 
over  uninformed  and  timid  minds.  I  allude  to  the  false 
notion  that  true  experimental  religion  is  a  feverish  ex¬ 
citement,  a  paroxysm  of  passion,  which  must  be  produced 
by  extraordinary  influences,  and  which  must  be  sustained 
by  all  possible  abstractions  from  the  accustomed  pursuits 
and  pleasures  of  society.  Let  me  not  be  misunderstood, 
however.  God  forbid,  that  any  one  should  infer  from  my 
noticing  this  error  in  such  terms,  that  I  am  the  advocate  of 
coldness  in  religion.  I  allow,  nay,  I  insist  upon  it,  that 
no  subject  should  awaken  the  energies  of  the  soul  like 
Christian  truth.  The  only  point  to  which  I  speak,  is  the 
mistake,  that  there  can  be  no  genuine  religious  experi¬ 
ence  without  excessive  heat  and  agitation  ;  a  mistake, 
which  is  not  a  rare  one,  and  which  is  the  cause  that  many 
of  the  best  disciples  of  Jesus  are  looked  upon  with  sus¬ 
picion.  I  only  refer  to  the  fact,  that  there  are  exta- 
cies  which  are  merely  animal,  depending  on  the  state  of 


57 


EXPLAINED  AND  ENFORCED. 


9 


the  nervous  system,  and  not  always,  nor  indeed  often, 
the  true  indices  of  character ;  that  they  are  frequently 
found  in  persons  of  very  little  fixed  religious  principle, 
but  of  irritable  tempers ;  and  that  they  are  experiences 
not  only  to  be  deprecated  in  all,  but  such  as  many  most 
excellent  individuals  have  been,  from  the  very  consti¬ 
tution  of  their  minds,  the  extent  of  their  knowledge,  and 
the  admirable  discipline  of  their  passions,  utterly  incapa¬ 
ble  of  undergoing. 

3.  A  third  error,  that  deserves  to  be  noticed,  is  the 
idea  that  religious  experience,  to  be  genuine,  must  be 
connected  with  only  one  set  of  religious  opinions.  It  is 
not  in  my  mind  to  affirm,  that  one’s  experiences  are  not 
at  all  affected  by  his  opinions.  I  believe  the  contrary. 
I  believe  that  our  religious  exercises  are  very  much  modi- 

p 

fied  by  the  doctrines  we  hold  to  be  true.  And  I  would 
urge  this  fact  as  a  motive  to  careful  investigation,  and  as 
a  caution  against  cherishing  any  opinions  that  have  a 
hurtful  tendency.  Were  I  to  descend  to  particulars  in 
this  connexion,  I  would  say,  beware  of  the  belief  that 
you  were  born  with  entire  depravity  of  heart,  lest  it  lead 
you  to  charge  your  sins  to  your  constitution, or  your  Cre¬ 
ator.  Beware  of  the  doctrine  of  moral  inability,  from  the 
fear  that  being  persuaded  you  can  do  nothing,  you  con¬ 
clude  you  have  nothing  to  do.  Beware  of  the  system 
that  inculcates  vicarious  satisfaction  and  substituted 
righteousness,  lest  you  be  tempted  to  rely  on  foreign  aid 
for  what  alone  can  be  done  by  yourselves.  Beware  of 
false  views  of  special  grace,  lest  by  waiting  for  miraculous 
influence  you  put  yourselves  out  of  the  way  of  experienc¬ 
ing  religion  at  all.  Beware  of  the  prevalent  notion  about 
the  efficacy  of  a  late  repentance,  for  it  may  be,  there  is 
no  way  of  instantaneous  regeneration  from  the  con¬ 
fine  of  a  sinful  life  to  the  gates  of  heaven. 


10 


RELIGIOUS  EXPERIENCE 


58 


These  opinions,  and  such  as  these,  one  would  suppose 
must  be  unfriendly  to  practical  religion,  if  any  opinions  can 
be  so.  Yet  how  many  persons  who  hold  them,  have  we  not 
seen  to  be  excellent  Christians.  And  what  should  the  fact 
teach  us ?  What  but  that  light  is  light,  through  what¬ 
ever  medium  it  struggles  ?  that  the  gold  is  not  annihi¬ 
lated  by  its  alloy  ?  that  the  gospel  may  effect  its  chief 
purposes,  though  connected  with  much  which  does  not  be¬ 
long  to  ii?  What,  in  a  word,  but  that  it  is  a  mistake  to 
suppose,  that  genuine  religious  experiences  are  associated 
with  only  one  class  of  opinions  ?  Indeed,  is  there  a  sect 
in  Christendom  that  cannot  boast  of  its  saints?  There 
is,  I  am  persuaded,  enough  of  truth  in  the  creed  of  every 
Christian  denomination  to  sanctify  and  save  the  soul,  only 
let  that  truth  have  its  perfect  work.  Suppose  that  you 
could  not  assent,  in  all  its  details,  to  the  formulary  of 
faith  adopted  by  any  of  the  contending  parties.  Could 
you  not,  for  all  that,  experience  religion  ?  Could  you 
not  feel  that  God  is  wise  and  good,  and  that  you  owe 
him  your  love  and  obedience  ?  Could  you  not  be  sensi¬ 
ble  of  your  sins  and  repent  of  and  forsake  them  ?  Could 
you  not  receive  Jesus  Christ  as  your  Saviour,  and  pos¬ 
sess  yourselves  of  his  spirit,  and  endeavor  to  tread  in  his 
footsteps  ?  Could  you  not  be  persuaded,  and  act  from 
the  persuasion,  that  your  Creator  and  Judge  has  so  con¬ 
stituted  the  moral  world  that  misery  shall  follow  sin,  and 
happiness  shall  flow  from  holiness?  Well,  this,  and 
such  as  this,  is  religious  experience ;  and  it  is  what  may 
be  found  in  every  sect  of  Christians.  It  is,  therefore, 

%  wrong  to  say  that  religious  experience  is  necessarily  con¬ 
nected  only  with  the  peculiar  tenets  of  some  one  class  of 
Christian  professors, 


59  EXPLAINED  AND  ENFORCED.  1  1 

4.  Another  error  relating  to  the  subject  is,  that  true 
religious  experiences  consist  of  the  same  exercises  in  all 
thorough  converts.  There  is,  vve  all  know,  a  certain  de¬ 
fined  process  prescribed  in  some  books  and  sanctioned  by 
some  churches,  through  which  every  one,  of  whatever 
character,  is  required  to  pass  before  he  can  be  recognised 
as  having  experienced  religion  satisfactorily.  There  are 
the  same  convictions  for  all,  whether  they  have  sinned 
little  or  much,  and  there  are  the  same  agonies,  and  then 
the  same  raptures.  That  this,  however,  cannot  be  correct, 
seems  to  me  obvious.  It  is  impossible  in  the  nature 
of  things  for  all  persons  to  have  precisely  the  same  ex¬ 
periences,  for  all  have  not  been  alike  vicious  ;  all  do  not 
need  equal  reformation  ;  all  are  not  susceptible  of  the 
same  impressions;  all  are  not  placed  in  similar  sit¬ 
uations  ;  all  have  not  the  same  opportunities  nor  the 
same  motives.  Now,  in  view  of  such  diversities,  which 
I  think  I  may  take  it  for  granted  no  one  will  deny  to 
exist,  who  will  say  that  all  must,  nay,  that  all  can  have 
the  same  experiences  1  And  who  that  knows  any 
thing  of  the  subject,  as  he  ought  to  know  it,  will  have 
it  in  his  heart  to  condemn  his  neighbor,  as  unworthy 
of  his  Christian  fellowship,  for  not  having  gone  through 
the  full  course  of  his  own  spiritual  exercises  ?  Dif¬ 
ferent  individuals  may  be  equally  good  Christians,  and 
yet  their  experiences  may  have  been  as  unlike  as  their 
persons.  One  may  not  be  able  to  recollect  the  time 
when  he  did  not  love  God  and  man,  and  aim  to  do  his 
duty.  Another  may  remember  distinctly  when  he  first 
began  to  give  his  thoughts  to  divine  things.  Such  being 
of  necessity  the  case,  it  is  evidently  a  mistake  to  suppose 
that  religious  experiences  must  be  the  same  in  all  true 
Christians. 


12 


RELIGIOUS  EXPERIENCE 


60 


5.  One  other  error,  which  has  been  very  fruitful  of 
evil,  is  that  of  those  who  seem  to  think  and  speak  and 
act  as  if  to  have  once  in  their  life  undergone  a  change, 
to  have  once  passed  through  the  process  of  regeneration, 
constitutes  an  unquestionable  passport  to  heaven.  Per¬ 
sons  of  this  description  are  not  unfrequently  to  be  met 
with.  They  are  sure  they  have  been  born  again,  and 
this  conviction,  if  not  the  whole  of  their  experience,  is 
that  on  which  they  chiefly  rely,  as  the  evidence  of  their 
final  acceptance  with  God.  Now,  I  do  not  say  that 
some  may  not  at  certain  seasons  have  felt  the  power  of 
religion  in  a  very  peculiar  manner.  Nor  wTould  I  speak 
contemptuously  of  those  extraordinary  emotions,  to  which 
such,  as  have  enjoyed  them,  delight  to  recur.  But  that 
the  sensations  of  any  one  time,  however  peculiar  they 
may  have  been,  should  be  all,  or  the  greater  part,  of  the 
ground  of  the  Christian’s  hope,  seems  to  me  to  be  not 
only  an  error,  but  a  very  dangerous  one.  And  it  is  so, 
among  other  reasons,  because  the  feeling  of  security  and 
confidence,  which  it  produces,  blinds  one  to  the  neces¬ 
sity  of  continual  circumspection  in  subsequent  life,  and 
thus  the  chief  motive  of  future  exertion  is  taken  away. 
The  true  doctrine,  relative  to  religious  experiences,  in 
this  respect,  is,  that  we  should  be  content  with  none  that 
are  past,  but  should  be  perpetually  seeking  for  new  and 
better  ones.  The  well  disciplined  Christian  has  religious 
experiences  every  day  ;  and  it  is  from  a  patient  continu¬ 
ance  in  them,  and  from  this  alone,  under  God,  that  he 
derives  the  hope  of  inheriting  the  promises  made  to  the 
faithful. 

But  it  must  be  painful  to  my  readers,  certainly  it  is 
so  to  me,  to  dw’ell  upon  the  misapprehensions  of  our  fellow 
men  in  respect  to  so  sacred  a  subject,  as  that  which  is  before 


61 


EXPLAINED  AND  ENFORCED. 


13 


us.  I  therefore  pass  by  unnoticed  some  others,  that  occur 
to  me  as  very  common,  though  less  injurious  than  those  I 
have  mentioned,  and  ask  your  attention,  while  I  attempt 
to  state  to  you,  at  considerable  length,  what  I  deem  to  be 
that  genuine  religious  experience,  which,  as  the  Apostle 
says,  and  as  Unitarians  believe,  produces  the  hope  that 
will  not  disappoint  us. 

III.  What,  then,  is  genuine  religious  experience  ?  its 
nature  ?  its  characteristics  ?  I  may  partly  answer  the 
question,  by  asking  another.  What  is  genuine  experience 
in  respect  to  other  subjects  ?  What  is  literary  experience  ? 
What  is  agricultural  experience  1  What  is  mercantile 
experience  ?  To  these  questions  there  is  no  difficult  an¬ 
swer.  Every  one  knows  that,  by  experience,  when  the 
term  is  used  in  these  connexions,  is  meant,  the  result  of 
the  practical  application  of  principles  appropriate  to  these 
connexions.  Or  it  means  the  knowledge,  skill,  devoted¬ 
ness,  and  satisfaction,  derived  from  reducing  what  belongs 
to  the  theory  of  these  different  sorts  of  business  to  practice. 
Now,  precisely  the  same  kind  of  answer  is  to  be  given 
to  the  question,  what  is  religious  experience.  Religious 
experience  is  the  result  of  the  practical  application  of 
religious  principles,  or,  it  is  the  knowledge,  skill,  de¬ 
votedness,  and  satisfaction,  derived  from  reducing  what 
belongs  to  the  theory  of  religion  to  practice.  Accord¬ 
ingly,  we  may  be  said  to  experience  religion  just  in  pro¬ 
portion  as,  by  employing  our  thoughts  upon  it,  our  minds 
are  enlightened  and  ennobled ;  as,  by  setting  our  affec¬ 
tions  upon  it,  our  hearts  are  interested  and  sanctified, 
and  as,  by  acting  from  it,  our  habits  of  life  become  ho¬ 
lier  and  stronger.  Or,  to  express  the  same  thing  in  fewer 
words, — religious  experience  is  the  fruit  of  the  principles 
of  religion  faithfully  applied  to  the  mind,  the  heart, 

VOL.  III.  2 


14 


RELIGIOUS  EXPERIENCE 


62 


and  the  life.  To  be  complete  and  satisfactory,  it 
must  have  these  three  relations.  If  it  fails  in  respect  to 
either,  it  is  so  far  defective,  and  lessens  proportionably 
the  grounds  of  Christian  hope.  Let  us  dwell  a  little  on 
religious  experience  in  the  three  relations  I  have  men¬ 
tioned. 

1.  I  have  said  that  religious  experience  is  the  fruit 
of  the  principles  of  religion  faithfully  applied  to  the 
mind.  It  is  what  the  understanding,  the  reason,  all  the 
intellectual  faculties,  are  concerned  with.  Indeed,  here  is 
the  source  of  the  religion  of  the  heart  and  life.  Without 
knowledge,  there  could  not  be  any  religious  experience. 
But  I  wish  to  confine  myself  now  to  the  effects  of  religion 
on  the  mind  alone.  I  would  have  it  understood,  that  in 
embracing  Unitarianism,  we  do  not  burden  ourselves  with 
a  cumbersome  apparatus,  which  perplexes  and  retards, 
instead  of  facilitating,  the  operations  of  intellect.  Reve¬ 
lation,  as  we  view  it,  was  not  designed  to  limit  reason, 
but  to  call  it  into  new  and  better  exercises.  Our  sys¬ 
tem  is  suited,  above  all  others,  we  think,  to  develope, 
strengthen,  and  ennoble  the  mental  faculties.  Till  it 
does  this,  we  say  its  work  is  not  accomplished.  I  cannot 
insist  upon  this  efficacy  of  God’s  truth  on  the  mind  too 
strongly.  I  fear  it  is  not  duly  estimated.  Religion  has 
been  placed  too  much  in  creeds  and  too  little  in  thought. 
It  has  served  to  darken  and  belittle  the  soul,  when  it 
should  have  illumined  and  enlarged  it.  God  gave  it  to 
make  the  mind  free  and  strong  ;  but  man,  in  his  igno¬ 
rance  or  his  folly,  has  forged  fetters  out  of  it,  by  which 
the  mind  has  been  cramped  and  made  impotent  as  a 
child’s.  Let  it  be  so  no  more.  Let  not  the  whole  men¬ 
tal  existence  be  shrunk  and  shrivelled  into  the  dimen¬ 
sions  of  a  party  system,  tolerable  only  in  times  long  since 


G3 


EXPLAINED  AND  ENFORCED. 


15 


gone  by.  Do  not  think,  in  your  manhood,  to  wear  the 
swaddling  bands  of  your  infancy.  Assert,  and  enjoy, 
that  liberty  wherewith  Christ  hath  made  you  free. 

There  is  a  freedom  of  thought,  an  enlargement  of  view, 
an  elevation  of  soul,  a  perpetual  putting  forth  of  its  facul¬ 
ties  upward  and  onward,  towards  God  and  heaven, 
which  nothing  gives  but  a  pure  religion,  and  which  we 
cannot  value  too  highly.  Yes,  and  the  mind  that  has 
been  brought  to  this  state  of  activity  and  lofty  aspira¬ 
tion,  is  as  much  superior  to  common  minds,  in  respect 
to  all  that  truly  exalts  human  nature,  as  the  most  cul¬ 
tivated  intellect  in  civilized  society  is  to  that  of  the  rudest 
savage  of  the  forest.  I  do  not  know  of  a  better  word  to 
express  the  immediate  cause  of  this  sort  of  mental  experi¬ 
ence,  than  the  old  scriptural  word — faith — an  enlightened 
faith  in  the  divine  perfections  and  purposes,  as  revealed 
by  Jesus  Christ.  I  use  the  term,  however,  in  no  restricted 
sense.  I  mean  not  by  it,  a  mere  belief  in  this  or  that  doc¬ 
trine,  which  the  contending  sects  make  the  topic  of  un¬ 
ceasing  controversy.  But  I  mean  by  it,  that  all-compre¬ 
hending  principle,  call  it  a  sentiment,  or  a  convic¬ 
tion,  or  what  you  will,  which  implies  confidence  and 
trust  in  the  power,  wisdom,  and  goodness  of  Almighty 
God ;  which  preserves  the  faculties  open  to  the  light  of 
the  divine  communications,  through  whatever  medium 
they  may  come ;  which  keeps  up  a  strong  and  steady 
current  of  thought  towards  the  Infinite  and  Eternal ; 
which  gives  to  the  words  of  Jesus  an  authority  that 
belongs  to  the  teachings  of  none  other  than  a  divinely 
commissioned  messenger  from  the  Universal  Father ; 
which  is  constantly  arming  conscience  with  new  power, 
and  enduing  the  soul  with  fortitude  to  bear  up  under  any 
trial,  and  giving  courage  to  tread  down  temptation  in  the 


16 


RELIGIOUS  EXPERIENCE 


64 


way  of  duty,  and  ensuring  the  ready  consecration  of  every 
faculty  to  the  known  requisitions  of  God’s  will. 

Such  I  conceive  to  be  genuine  religious  experience,  in 
respect  to  the  human  mind.  This  is  what,  as  Unitarian 
Christians,  we  should  aspire  to.  We  are  not  to  rest  satis- 
lied,  till  it  invests  the  thought  of  God  with  absolute  power 
over  every  other  thought ;  till  it  makes  the  future  predomi¬ 
nate  habitually  over  the  present ;  till  it  clothes  the  know¬ 
ledge  imparted  by  the  Saviour  with  an  importance,  which 
no  other  knowledge  possesses  ;  till  it  renders  nature,  pro¬ 
vidence,  and  scripture,  continually  tributary  to  the  trea¬ 
sures  of  our  wisdom  ;  till  it  gives  every  day  new  impres¬ 
sions  of  the  dignity  of  our  nature,  and  higher  views  of  its 
capacity  for  improvement ;  till  it  seems,  indeed,  to  create 
new  faculties  within  us ;  till  it  enables  us  to  look  upon  the 
divine  works  with  an  eye  that  shall  discern  fresh  beau¬ 
ties  at  every  successive  glance  ;  till,  in  a  word,  it  reveals 
to  us  God  in  every  thing  good,  and  every  thing  good  in 
God. 

2.  I  have  said  that  religious  experience  is  the  fruit  of 
the  principles  of  religion  faithfully  applied  to  the  heart. 
Unitarianism  is  by  no  means  a  system  adapted  only  to 
the  intellect.  We  are  not  the  philosophical  pupils  of  a 
master  who  asks  for  the  service  of  the  mind  alone.  Ours 
is  a  religion  in  which  the  affections  are  concerned. 
Though  our  experiences  do  have  their  source  in  know¬ 
ledge,  and  must  be  always  guided  by  reason,  yet  they  are 
not  to  be  marked  with  coldness.  We  hold  that  the 
man,  whose  religious  exercises  are  confined  to  the  frigid 
region  of  his  understanding,  has  taken  but  some  of  the 
first  steps  in  the  Christian  course.  ‘Give  me  thine  heart,’ 
is  the  divine  injunction  ;  and  this,  we  know,  we  must 
give,  or  our  experience  worketh  not  the  hope  of  the  gos* 


65 


EXPLAINED  AND  ENFORCED. 


17 


pel.  Feeling  is  as  important  as  conviction.  Affection  is 
as  essential  to  true  piety  as  it  is  to  true  friendship.  Who 
would  take  from  this  its  glow  ?  But  you  might  as  well 
do  it,  as  deprive  religion  of  its  warmth,  by  restricting  it  to 
the  cold  province  of  the  understanding.  Mistake  me  not, 
however.  The  danger  of  insensibility  is  not  all  on  the 
side  of  the  intellect.  The  affections,  in  religion,  as  in 
everything  else,  may  suffer  from  the  meaner  propensities. 
They  often  do  so  in  what  are  called  revivals.  There  are 
artificial  excitements,  there  are  impressions  on  the  senses, 
not  on  the  soul,  which  exhilarate  the  system  for  a  time, 
and  then  bring  on  torpor  and  spiritual  death.  This 
we  must  guard  against  as  for  our  life.  The  spirit  that 
was  created  to  attach  itself  to  God  and  goodness,  with 
a  pure,  steady,  unconquerable  love,  must  not  disappear  in 
carnal  absorption  ;  must  not  subside  into  the  mere  physb 
cal  nature  ;  must  not  sink  and  sleep  in  the  animal  func¬ 
tions  ;  must  not  be  rocked  and  lulled  into  lethargy  by 
the  bodily  movements.  It  must  ever  be  a  living,  ac¬ 
tive,  holy  spirit,  full  of  love  for  its  Creator  and  its  duty. 

Divine  truth  never  accomplishes  its  full  purpose,  where 
it  does  not  both  awaken  and  “cherish  a  devout  and  gen¬ 
erous  sensibility.  Did  God  reveal  himself  to  us,  do  you 
think,  in  the  affecting  character  of  a  tender  Father,  only 
to  produce  a  conviction  in  our  mind  ?  Did  the  blessed 
Jesus  speak  and  die,  as  never  man  spake  and  died, 
only  that  his  wrords  and  example  might  be  deposited  in 
our  memory  1  Is  the  curtain  raised  for  us  that  shut  out 
from  the  view  of  former  generations  the  world  of  spirits, 
merely  that  we  might  have  new  subjects  of  speculation  1 
Oh  !  no.  The  truths  of  our  religion  were  designed  to 
touch  the  deep  springs  of  human  nature ;  and  these  are 
in  the  heart.  They  were  wisely  so  designed,  be- 
vol.  hi.  2* 


18 


RELIGIOUS  EXPERIENCE 


64 


cause  they  are  to  rule  in  a  soul,  that  is  agitated  by  various 
passions  ;  which,  if  not  governed  by  something  stronger 
than  themselves,  will  put  to  hazard  its  virtue  and  its 
peace.  Now  to  experience  religion  thoroughly,  is  to  give 
it  complete  control  over  these  dangerous  propensities  of 
our  nature.  I  do  not  mean  that  the  passions  are  to  be 
extinguished ;  but  that  they  are  to  be  so  chastened  down 
and  so  directed,  as  that  they  shall  be  habitually  on  the 
side  of  God  and  duty ;  performing  their  appropriate  office 
calmly  and  steadily  indeed,  yet  with  energy ;  preserving 
an  easy  susceptibility  of  soul  to  every  thing  that  comes 
from  and  relates  to  the  source  of  all  good  ;  having  ready 
sympathy  with  all  that  is  pure  and  excellent  in  human 
beings,  into  whatever  name  they  may  have  been  baptized  ; 
and  urging  the  whole  man  onward  to  new  and  still  greater 
attainments. 

Such  I  understand  religious  experience  to  be,  as  it  re¬ 
lates  to  the  heart.  As  Unitarians,  we  are  not  to  be  con¬ 
tent  with  what  our  religion  does  for  us,  unless  it  quickens, 
controls,  and  sanctifies  the  affections ;  unless  it  subdues 
the  inordinate  love  of  the  world  by  kindling  up  a  nobler 
love  within  us  ;  unless  it  creates  a  dread  of  sin,  stronger, 
ay,  stronger,  than  the  dread  of  death  ;  unless  it  awakens 
desires  after  holiness  as  intense  as  the  desire  of  life  ;  un¬ 
less  it  directs  the  full  force  of  the  affections  to  high  and 
worthy  objects  ;  to  God,  to  Christ,  to  holiness,  to  heaven. 

3.  I  have  said  that  religious  experience  is  the  fruit  of 
the  principles  of  religion  faithfully  applied  to  the  life. 
No  convictions,  no  feelings,  are  enough  without  this. 
Unitarianism  is  eminently  a  practical  religion.  We  be¬ 
lieve,  that  he  who  doeth  righteousness,  and  he  alone,  is 
truly  righteous.  We  hold,  that  the  perfection  of  Chris¬ 
tian  experience  is  the  actual  consecration  of  the  thoughts 


67 


EXPLAINED  AND  ENFORCED. 


19 


and  affections  to  God,  in  that  way  of  well  doing,  to 
which  the  finger  of  God,  in  his  providence,  every  day 
points.  We  have  not  perfect  sympathy  with  any  who 
confine  their  religion  to  particular  seasons  and  localities. 
We  say  it  is  of  little  worth,  unless  it  accompanies  men 
into  their  ordinary  pursuits,  and  causes  its  influence  to  be 
felt  in  the  diversities  of  innocent  and  useful  occupation. 
Religion  and  business,  we  maintain,  are  not  separate  in¬ 
terests.  The  duties  of  the  Christian  are  not  distinct 
from  the  duties  of  the  man.  The  narrow  way  to  heaven 
runs  directly  through  the  busy  scenes  of  the  world.  The 
substance  of  religious  service  is  moral  service.  The 
moral  man  is  the  only  thoroughly  experienced  Christian. 

From  this  it  will  doubtless  be  inferred,  that  I  regard 
much  which  passes  in  the  world  for  religion  as  false. 
And  certainly  I  wish  it  to  be  so  inferred.  There  is  a 
religion  of  places,  which  I  call  local  religion.  There  is 
a  religion  of  times,  which  I  term  periodical  religion. 
There  is  a  religion  of  ordinances,  which  I  name  ritual 
religion.  There  is  a  religion  of  passion,  which  I  denom¬ 
inate  feverish  religion.  There  is,  too,  a  verbal  reli¬ 
gion,  a  party  religion,  a  controversial  religion,  a  sensual 
religion.  But  what  is  it  all  worth,  if  it  be  no  more  than 
this  7  What  is  it  all  worth,  if  it  does  not  improve  the 
life  7  Believe  me,  true  religion  is  never  divorced  from 
true  morality.  As  much  as  we  have  of  this,  we  have 
of  that,  and  no  more.  They  cannot  exist  separately. 
The  value  of  our  experiences  is  to  be  estimated,  not 
by  the  devotions  of  the  Sunday,  but  by  the  doings  of  the 
week ;  not  by  what  we  seem  to  be  at  church,  but  by 
what  we  are  at  home,  and  in  the  places  of  our  traffic. 
Our  religion,  if  genuine,  will  go  with  us  wherever  we 
go,  and  dwell  with  us  wherever  we  dwell,  drawing  us 


20 


RELIGIOUS  EXPERIENCE 


68 


into  closer  intimacy  with  our  God,  multiplying  and 
strengthening  the  ties  that  bind  us  to  the  wise  and 
good  among  men,  and  preserving  us  unspotted  from  the 
world.  Christianity  seeks  to  commend  and  dignify  the 
common  pursuits  of  men,  not  to  disparage  them.  It  is 
into  the  domestic,  social,  and  business  character,  that  it 
was  designed  to  carry  its  purifying,  controling,  and  en¬ 
nobling  power.  Indeed,  it  is  upon  the  broad  altar  of  so¬ 
ciety  that  our  most  acceptable  sacrifice  is  offered  up  to  the 
universal  Father.  Those  prayers  are  best  received  above, 
which  ascend  from  men,  whose  hearts  are  pledged  and 
whose  hands  are  consecrated  to  the  good  of  their  fellows. 

Thus,  our  religion  is  social  and  practical ;  social 
and  practical,  both  in  its  nature  and  its  effects.  Of 
this  character  must  be  our  experiences,  if  we  would  have 
the  hope  that  t{  maketh  not  ashamed.’  We  expect  to  be 
saved,  not  by  being  drawn  by  our  faith  from  our  appro¬ 
priate  offices  in  the  ordinary  pursuits  of  society,  but  by 
being  sanctified  by  it  in  the  very  act  of  fulfilling  them. 
Therefore  it  is,  that  Unitarianism  is  never  heard  bid¬ 
ding  the  domestic  to  leave  her  employment  in  order 
to  enjoy  her  religious  impressions,  or  the  mechanic 
to  sit  down  in  indolent  musings  because  he  has  become 
pious,  or  the  merchant  to  forsake  his  business  that 
he  may  nurse  his  experiences.  Oh  no.  We  would,  in¬ 
deed,  persuade  all  to  renounce  the  world,  with  re¬ 
spect  to  its  false  principles,  its  vicious  spirit,  and  its 
harmful  pleasures.  But  we  would  persuade  all,  at  the 
same  time,  to  regard  the  world,  while  they  live  in  it, 
as  the  place  of  their  noblest  Christian  achievements  ;  as 
the  scene  arranged  by  Providence,  for  activity,  for  trial, 
and  for  the  perfecting  of  the  character.  There,  is  the 
post  assigned  to  every  man  by  his  Creator.  It  were 
cowardly,  not  to  say  unchristian,  to  forsake  it. 


69 


EXPLAINED  AND  ENFORCED. 


21 


Am  I  told,  by  way  of  objection,  that  it  is  difficult  to  main¬ 
tain  it  amid  the  world’s  exposures  ?  I  know  it  is  so.  But 
I  know  as  well  that  it  is  more  difficult  to  be  a  thorough 
Christian  in  solitude.  Unitarianism  does  not  profess 
to  remove  all  difficulties  from  our  path,  though  it  does 
enable  us  to  surmount  them.  It  is  not  indeed  the  easy 
way  of  faith  without  works,  of  devotion  without  virtue,  of 
feeling  without  practical  effort ;  and  I  thank  God  that  it 
is  not.  Difficulty  is  appointed  to  man  in  great  kindness. 
Our  character  would  be  weak  and  puny,  if  we  had 
nothing  to  struggle  with  and  overcome.  What  is  the 
plant  that  grows  up  in  the  shade  ?  What  is  the  moun¬ 
tain  oak  that  has  wrestled  with  the  storm  ?  Even  Jesus 
Christ,  had  difficulty  to  encounter,  and  this  too  at  every 
step  of  his  progress.  But  who  will  say  that  he  did  not 
reap  benefit  from  it  ?  The  scriptures  tell  us,  that  he  w’as 
*  made  perfect  through  suffering.5  And  then,  too,  his  re¬ 
ward  was  the  greater  for  it.  It  was  ‘  for  enduring  the 
cross  and  despising  its  shame,’  say  the  same  scriptures, 
that  he  was  exalted  at  the  right  hand  of  God.  To  the 
Author  and  Finisher  of  our  faith  we  are  to  look  for  a  pat¬ 
tern.  God  has  placed  us  in  this  world  of  virtuous  men 
and  of  vicious  men,  this  world  of  toil  and  temptation,  this 
world  of  difficulty  and  sorrow,  not  that  we  should  escape 
from  its  trials  and  its  duties  ;  but  that  we  should  be  in  the 
midst  of  them,  bearing  ourselves  manfully  and  religious¬ 
ly,  and  perfecting  holiness,  in  his  fear,  by  combating  and 
vanquishing  the  evils  of  our  lot.  Yes,  it  is  in  the  world, 
in  the  diversified  relations  of  life,  in  the  daily  pressure 
of  multiplied  pursuits,  whether  at  home  or  abroad,  in  the 
shop  or  in  the  field,  in  the  office  or  in  the  mart,  that  the 
reality  of  our  religious  experiences  must  appear ;  and 
if  it  appears  not  there,  it  is  in  vain  that  it  does  so  here. 


22 


RELIGIOUS  EXPERIENCE 


70 


He  that  is  not  a  Christian  in  his  common,  every  day 
dependences  and  avocations,  is  not  a  Christian  at  all. 
A  man  who  is  a  tyrant  in  his  family,  or  a  knave  in  the 
place  of  his  business,  or  immoral  anywhere,  may  talk 
of  his  experiences,  if  he  please; — but,  let  me  tell  him, 
they  have,  in  the  sight  of  the  omniscient  God,  no  more 
desert  than  the  breathings  of  the  winds,  or  the  playings 
of  the  sunbeams.  Look  then,  to  your  life,  Christians. 
Here  is  the  true  test  of  the  genuineness  of  your  expe¬ 
riences.  Other  evidences  may  deceive  you  ;  this  never 
can.  Others  may  be  misunderstood  ;  this  bears  signa¬ 
tures  intelligible  to  men  and  angels. 

IV.  Thus,  I  have  answered,  as  I  was  able,  the  ques¬ 
tion,  what  is  religious  experience?  We  perceive  there 
is  no  mystery  about  it.  It  is  a  plain,  practical  matter, 
to  which  every  one  is  competent,  who  will  apply  the 
principles  of  God’s  revelations  according  to  the  methods 
of  his  appointment.  What  are  these  methods? 

1.  I  take  it  upon  myself  to  say,  first,  it  is  his  appoint¬ 
ment,  that  we  aim  to  make  the  thought,  that  we  are  able 
to  apply  these  principles  so  as  to  become  the  subjects 
of  experimental  religion,  one  of  our  most  familiar  thoughts. 
And  I  say  this,  because  every  page  of  his  holy  word  ad¬ 
dresses  us  as  free  agents,  capable  of  moral  obedience, 
responsible  to  him  for  our  actions,  and  destined  to  re¬ 
ward  or  punishment  according  to  our  doings  and  charac¬ 
ter.  Has  God,  then,  given  us  the  ability,  and  thus  made 
it  our  duty,  to  experience  religion  ?  Let  us  not  hesitate 
to  think  that  we  can  experience  it.  Here  is  the  beginning 
of  every  great  achievement.  That  this  is  true  in  busi¬ 
ness,  every  one  knows.  It  is  true  in  religion.  He  who 
imagines  himself  impotent,  will  be  likely  to  be  impotent 
in  fact.  Form  no  low  estimate  of  the  power  which  your 


71 


EXPLAINED  AND  ENFORCED. 


23 


Maker  has  given  you.  It  is  ingratitude  to  the  Giver  to 
despise  his  gifts.  It  paralizes  effort  to  fancy  that  little  or 
nothing  can  be  done.  Think  that  you  can  do  much,  and 
you  will  attempt  much.  I  have  small  hope  of  him  who  is 
always  brooding  over  what  he  calls  the  worthlessness  of 
human  nature.  I  have  great  hope  of  him,  who,  while  he 
thinks  and  speaks  modestly  of  his  attainments,  believes 
he  has  faculties  given  him  by  God  for  noble  acquisitions. 

2.  In  the  next  place,  believing  that  we  can  expe¬ 
rience  religion,  we  are  to  regard  it  as  God’s  appoint¬ 
ment,  that  we  give  attention  to  the  subject.  Nothing  of 
course  is  to  be  expected  without  this.  Religious  acquisi¬ 
tions  are  subject  to  the  same  law  with  other  acquisi¬ 
tions.  They  demand  that  we  apply  our  minds  to  se¬ 
rious,  intense,  and  prolonged  consideration  of  religious 
topics.  We  may  find  the  task  a  difficult  one  at  first. 
What  then  ?  Do  we  not  know  that  this  is  the  case  with 
almost  all  new  subjects?  Have  we  not  found  the 
same  to  happen  in  our  worldly  concerns?  Yet,  by 
strenuous  and  repeated  effort,  have  we  not  found  the 
repugnance  to  grow  less  and  less,  till  at  length  we 
came  to  be  pleased  with  what  before  was  irksome  ?  And 
so  it  is  in  spiritual  concerns.  Let  it  be,  that  religion  has 
little  attraction  for  us  at  first.  This  is  not  a  sufficient 
reason  for  abandoning  it.  We  should  rather  force  our¬ 
selves  to  contemplate  it ;  should  compel  our  wandering 
thoughts  to  dwell  upon  it  once  and  again  ;  should  remem¬ 
ber  that  if  we  dismiss  it  now,  because  it  does  not  suit  our 
taste,  it  will  certainly  return  at  last  to  suit  our  taste  still 
less,  and  perhaps  to  find  us  incapable  of  feeling  its  power 
and  enjoying  its  comforts.  At  the  same  time,  we  may  as¬ 
sure  ourselves,  that,  by  persevering  in  efforts  of  attention, 
we  shall  infallibly  gain  the  mastery  over  our  reluctant 


24 


RELIGIOUS  EXPERIENCE,  &,C. 


7^ 

i  ** 


thoughts,  and  finally  shall  come  to  love  what,  in  the  be¬ 
ginning,  was  a  subject  of  indifference,  if  not  of  disgust. 

3.  Finally,  in  seeking  to  be  the  subjects  of  experimental 
religion,  we  must  consider  it  as  God’s  appointment,  that 
we  use  all  the  means  which  he  has  given  us,  adapted  to 
fix  its  principles  within  us,  and  to  impart  its  spirit  to  our 
conduct.  These  means  are  various.  One  of  them  is,  to 
avoid  as  much  as  possible  the  influence  of  profligate  asso¬ 
ciates.  Another  is,  to  haVte  nothing  to  do  with  books  that 
disguise  impurity  under  the  name  of  wit,  and  soften  licen¬ 
tiousness  by  the  coloring  of  fancy.  A  third  is,  to  seize, 
amid  secular  pursuits,  every  moment  we  can,  for  serious 
reflections.  Again,  we  must  inquire  of  history  for  the 
wisdom  of  the  wise  and  the  examples  of  the  good,  and  ask 
of  nature  and  providence  what  they  can  teach  us  of  the 
divine  character  and  purposes.  It  is,  also,  to  be  a  settled 
principle  with  us,  to  mingle  our  sympathies  and  devotions, 
as  we  have  opportunity,  with  those  of  our  fellow  men  in 
the  temple  of  the  Most  High.  Then,  there  are  the  holy 
scriptures,  which  speak  of  the  Father  of  all,  of  the  Re¬ 
deemer,  of  heaven,  of  hell,  and  of  man’s  duty,  to  be  read 
and  pondered.  The  ordinances  of  the  church,  too,  are 
the  appointed  helps  to  the  perfection  of  our  experiences. 
There  is  prayer,  moreover,  that  means  of  wonderful 
efficacy — private  and  domestic  prayer,  which  we  are 
no  more  to  neglect  than  our  daily  food.  An  1  last, 
though  not  least,  there  is  action — useful  action,  from 
which,  God  has  ordained,  there  shall  come  back  to  the 
heart  a  quickening  and  sanctifying  power,  making  that, 
which  is  the  purpose  and  end  of  the  affections,  also  the 
means  of  rendering  them  holier,  stronger,  and  more  effi¬ 
cient  prompters  of  all  the  virtues. 


1st  Series. 


No.  31. 


THE 


DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


BY  REV.  WILLIAM  WARE. 


PRINTED  FOR  THE 


3mmcan  ©uttartan  Rnnotlation. 


BOSTON, 

GRAY  AND  BOWEN,  135  WASHINGTON  STREET. 

1S29. 


Price  5  Cents. 


Boston  : 

Printed  by  Isaac  R.  Butts 
25,  School  Street. 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


Boast  not  thyself  of  tomorrow. — PRov.xxvii.  1. 

And  yet,  although  this  is  the  counsel  of  both  reason 
and  scripture,  and  although  every  man  if  he  thinks  of 
the  matter  a  moment  must  be  convinced  of  its  wisdom, 
how  few  practically  regard  it.  Indeed,  if  there  is  any 
one  thing  in  which  men  seem  most  to  agree,  it  is  in 
reversing  this  precept  of  Solomon, — boasting  of  to-mor¬ 
row — reckoning  upon  it.  They  are  not  in  general,  judg¬ 
ing  by  their  conduct,  more  sure  of  to-day  than  they  are 
of  to-morrow.  They  speak  with  as  much  confidence  of 
the  business  they  shall  transact,  the  journeys  they  shall 
commence,  the  studies  they  shall  pursue,  the  good  or  evil 
deeds  they  shall  attempt  or  complete  on  the  morrow,  as  of 
what  they  shall  do  to-day  or  the  next  moment.  But  the 
wise  man  would  rebuke  this  spirit.  He  would  warn  us 
against  the  presumption  of  relying  on  to-morrow — or  even 
on  another  moment  beyond  the  present,  seeing  the  one, 
strictly  speaking,  is  as  uncertain  as  the  other.  And  we 
must  give  to  his  language  in  the  text,  if  we  would  receive 
its  true  meaning,  not  a  literal  and  narrow  interpretation, 
but  understand  him  to  speak  of  all  future  time  under  the 
similitude  of  to-morrow.  Boast  not  thyself,  O,  man  !  he 


4 


THE  DANGER  OP  DELAY. 


124 


would  say,  of  that  which  is  concealed  behind  the  veil  of 
the  future.  Place  not  thy  hope  in  its  uncertainties.  De~ 
fer  not  thy  work  of  duty  to  opportunities  that  may  never 
arrive.  Delay  not  to  forsake  thy  sin  and  turn  unto  God, 
thinking  that  when  to-morrow  dawns  thou  wilt  be  better 
prepared.  Postpone  not  an  irksome  task  to  the  future  in 
the  belief  that  it  will  then  be  pleasanter  and  easier. 
Trust  not  to  the  deceptive  language  of  the  heart,  that  by 
and  by  the  heart  and  life  shall  be  wholly  and  cheerfully 
surrendered  to  God,  but  that  now,  there  must  be  in¬ 
dulgence  and  ease,  and  devotion  to  other  and  pressing 
cares.  Centre  all  thy  hopes,  if  thou  wouldst  be  wise,  in 
to-day.  Do  now,  what  thou  wishest  to  do,  and  which  if 
not  done  in  season,  thou  knowest  well,  thy  life  will  be  a 
burden,  and  eternity  a  terror.  Now  is  thine,  to-morrow 
may  never  be. 

Such  is  the  true  sense  of  the  prudent  king’s  maxim. 
It  is  a  maxim  not  only  of  Jewish,  but  of  Christian,  of 
universal  morals. 

.And  it  derives  its  importance,  not  wholly  nor  chiefly, 
from  any  bearing  it  can  have  upon  the  transactions  of  this 
world.  It  is  indeed  wise  in  the  most  inconsiderable  af¬ 
fairs  not  to  trust  to  to-morrow,  for  what  can  be  done  to¬ 
day.  And  in  many  of  the  dealings  of  man  with  man, 
the  heaviest  losses  and  most  grievous  mischances  have 
overtaken  him,  because  he  was  so  stupid,  or  so  thought¬ 
less.  or  so  rash,  as  to  put  off  to  another  day  a  labor  that 
should  have  been  done  now.  Many  a  battle  has  been 
lost,  many  a  city  surprised  and  sacked,  many  a  house 
burned  to  the  ground,  many  a  fair  ship  foundered  or 
wrecked,  many  a  calamity  for  which  there  was  no  remedy 
has  overtaken  individuals  and  communities,  by  deferring 


125 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


5 


till  to-morrow,  or  even  another  hour,  what  was  the  busi¬ 
ness  of  the  present  moment.  So  that  in  its  relation  to 
the  prosperity  of  men  and  their  welfare  in  this  present, 
world,  it  is  important  that  a  man  do  not  reckon  on  to¬ 
morrow  when  to-day  is  in  his  hands.  And  it  were 
earnestly  to  be  wished,  that  the  indubitable  sorrows  and 
distressing  adversities,  that  come  upon  multitudes  of  those 
who  procrastinate  in  the  things  of  this  brief  and  transi¬ 
tory  scene  of  our  being,  would  but  serve  as  lessons  and 
warnings,  to  make  them  active  and  seasonable  in  the  more 
momentous  concerns  touching  the  soul  and  its  future 
condition,  and  to  teach  them  that  consequences  of  woe, 
dreadful  beyond  all  comparison  with  what  ever  happen 
on  earth,  will  follow  that  fatal  procrastination,  that  shall 
defer  to  a  day  or  hour  too  late  the  repentance  and  pre¬ 
paration,  on  which  heaven  and  salvation  depend. 

It  is  of  delay,  as  respects  the  imperishable  interests  of 
the  immortal  soul,  that  I  am  now  to  speak.  And  it  is 
with  reference  to  these  interests,  and  the  preparation  for 
the  future  life  that  Religion  exhorts  us  in  earnest  and 
solemn  tones— trust  not  to — reckon  not  upon — defer  not 
till — to-morrow. 

1.  The  work,  which  man  has  to  do,  is  too  great  and  too 
important  to  bear  postponement  and  be  put  upon  the 
hazard  of  such  an  uncertainty. 

If  this  work  of  self  preparation,  which  both  sound 
reason  and  -religion  demand  at  our  hands,  were  like 
many  of  the  petty  concerns  of  this  life,  on  which  little 
depends,  and  from  which  no  solemn  consequences  flow, 
it  might,  indeed,  be  put  off,  and  oftentimes  no  evil  ensue — 
or  none,  but  such  as  might  be  repaired.  But  I  would 

VOL.  III. - NO.  XXXI.  1# 


6 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


126 


put  it  to  the  conscience  of  every  reflecting  man,  if  it  be 
such  a  work,  if  there  be  any  to  be  placed  in  compari¬ 
son  with  it  for  its  magnitude  1  And  yet,  there  is  no  duty, 
however  insignificant,  in  the  way  of  our  daily  calling,  no 
affair  of  business,  that  concerns  our  worldly  interest,  that 
we  so  lightly  defer  to  another  day,  as  this  which  concerns 
the  soul  and  eternity.  Though  a  man  will,  indeed,  now 
and  then  meet  a  heavy  loss  in  his  fortune,  because  he 
loitered,  or  trifled,  or  stood  still,  when  he  should  have  press¬ 
ed  swiftly  on,  yet  generally,  let  there  be  a  great  object  to 
be  accomplished,  bearing  on  reputation,  advancement,  or 
property,  and  the  hour  of  action  cannot  come  too  soon, 
and  the  work  to  be  done  cannot  call  for  so  much  time 
and  industry  and  labor,  as  will  stand  waiting  to  be  em¬ 
ployed,  and  he  would  no  more  delay  to  act,  and  in  sea¬ 
son  too,  than  he  would  to  satisfy  the  crying  wants  of  his 
animal  nature.  But  is  it  often  so  in  religion  ?  Is  it 
often  that  we  see  this  eagerness  to  embrace  a  present 
opportunity — that  we  see  men  trembling  lest  to-day  should 
pass  by  and  nothing  be  done  for  their  peace  ?  Yet  with 
what  reason  might  we  tremble,  when  we  think  of  what  it 
is  which  we  have  to  accomplish,  and  the  little  time  at  the 
very  best  that  is  given  us  for  the  work,  and  the  danger 
that  ere  it  is  half  done,  even  if  we  labor  with  diligence, 
death  may  surprise  •  us. 

For  what  is  this  work  of  religion  ?  It  is  to  prepare  our¬ 
selves  against  the  solemnities  and  final  allotments  of  God’s 
judgment  day.  Our  minds,  through  all  their  powers  and 
capacities,  are  to  be  educated  and  filled  with  knowledge 
both  of  human  and  divine  things.  Our  desires,  that  so  love 
to  rest  on  sensual  and  temporary  things,  are  to  be  raised  to 
spiritual  objects.  Our  affections  are  to  be  sanctified  and 


1 27 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAA. 


7 


find  their  rest  in  Heaven.  Our  habits  are  all  to  be  gained 
over  to  the  side  of  virtue.  Our  lives  are  to  be  made  subject 
to  the  universal  rule  of  purity  and  integrity.  If  we  have  been 
wanderers  from  God  and  slaves  to  sin,  the  task  of  repent¬ 
ance  is  to  be  begun  and  completed.  If  we  are  habitually 
cold  and  earthward  in  our  feelings,  the  heart  is  to  be 
warmed  and  lifted  to  Heaven.  In  a  word,  man — imper- 
feet,  erring,  tempted,  sinning  man,  is  to  fit  himself  by  his 
own  efforts,  by  the  effectual  suppression  and  subjection  of 
what  is  evil  in  his  nature,  and  the  careful  rearing  and 
perfecting  of  that  which  is  good,  for  a  joyful  inheritance 
of  that  glorious  immortality  that  has  through  the  mercy 
of  God  been  promised.  And  is  this  a  work,  considered 
in  any  of  its  relations  and  aspects,  that  can  be  thought  an 
easy  one,  and  be  safely  deferred  to  a  more  convenient 
season  ?  Does  it  look  as  if  it  could  spare  any  of  the 
time  which  God  in  his  mercy  allows  us  ?  Is  it  so  light  a 
task,  that  a  day,  or  an  hour,  or  the  remnant  minutes  of  a 
wasted  life  will  suffice  for  it  1  Truly,  if  we  reflect  upon 
the  circumstances  of  difficulty,  which  beset  this  whole 
business,  the  extreme  reluctance  with  which  many  per¬ 
sons  are  brought  to  think  of  it  at  all,  the  slowness  and 
heaviness  of  spirit,  with  which  they  move  in  the  work  if 
they  do  enter  upon  it,  the  many  times  they  go  wholly 
back  to  where  they  first  started  from,  the  hesitancy,  luke¬ 
warmness,  temporising,  that  accompany  them  all  the  way 
through,  if  we  think  of  the  influence  of  the  world,  the 
claims  of  business,  and  pleasure,  and  folly,  of  friends, 
family,  and  society,  the  necessary  calls  of  industry,  and 
the  unnecessary  and  artificial  ones  of  custom  and  fashion, 
of  the  large  draughts  that  sickness,  pain,  uneasy  sensa¬ 
tions,  trifling  and  foolish  thoughts,  and  unavoidable  inter- 


8 


THE  DANGER  OP  DELAY. 


128 


ruptions  make  on  the  time  and  spirits, — if  we  think  of 
these  things,  we  shall  say  and  believe,  that  with  these 
hindrances  and  difficulties  and  the  nature  of  the  work  com¬ 
bined,  a  day  from  the  longest  life  God  ever  gives  can  be 
but  ill  spared,  and  that  he  were  twice  a  fool,  who,  if  in  his 
heart  he  wished  to  do  this  work,  postponed  for  a  single 
hour  so  urgent  and  mighty  a  task,  which,  if  he  were  to 
give  to  it  his  whole  strength  and  undivided  soul,  he 
could  scarce  in  the  longest  life  hope  thoroughly  to  ac¬ 
complish.  Oh,  what  amazing  stupidity  is  there  in  most 
of  us,  to  think,  knowing,  as  we  do,  what  the  gospel  and 
reason  both  demand  of  us  to  be  happy  hereafter,  that  we 
can  dose  on  through  to-day,  and  to-morrow,  and  the  next 
week,  and  for  another  month,  and  another  year,  and  that 
then,  time  enough  will  be  left  to  rouse  up,  and  clear  our 
eyes, ’and  stretch  our  limbs,  and  begin  the  race.  If  there 
is  not  a  single  post  of  duty  or  honor  upon  earth,  in  the 
whole  circle  of  human  affairs,  from  which  a  man  would 
not  be  spurned  with  reproaches  and  contempt,  if  he 
should  be  chargeable  with  one  half  the  incorrigible  dull¬ 
ness  and  unwillingness  of  which  he  is  so  often  guilty  in 
the  things  that  relate  to  his  final  salvation,  what,  I  would 
ask  in  all  seriousness,  can  we  reasonably  look  for  at  last 
at  the  hands  of  a  just  God,  but  shame  and  exclusion,  in 
that  we  have  trodden  under  foot  in  our  indolence,  or  sin, 
or  mad  devotion  to  other  things,  the  promises  of  eternity  1 

2.  Again,  count  not  upon  this  to-morrow,  depend  not 
upon  it,  defer  not  thy  work  to  it,  for  it  may  never  come. 

Thou  knowest  not  what  a  day  may  bring  forth  ;  and  it 
may  bring  forth  death  as  well  as  life,  pain  and  sicknes 
and  lassitude  and  imbecility  as  well  as  vigor,  and  strength, 


129 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


9 


and  new  returns  of  health.  The  dispositions,  and  pur¬ 
poses,  and  resolves,  and  aspirations  of  to-morrow — sup¬ 
posing  it  to  come — may  be  as  weak,  and  earthward,  and 
transient  as  those  of  to-day.  Why  not  ?  What  is  this 
charm  and  promise  that  hangs  about  to-morrow,  that  it 
should  take  all  the  worth  and  honor  of  life  to  itself? 
Who  has  told  us,  that  it  is  possessed  of  such  strange 
virtues,  and  abounds  with  such  potent  and  blessed  influ¬ 
ences,  that  the  moment  it  has  dawned  all  the  darkness  of 
our  minds  will  be  dispelled,  our  inglorious  sloth  will 
change  to  Christian  zeal,  and  all  the  clouds  of  doubt  and 
error  and  fear  will  clear  away  ?  But  more  than  this ;  and 
first  of  all,  what  right  have  we  to  reckon  on  the  future  ? 
The  arrows  of  death  are  flying  thick  through  the  air ; 
they  are  striking  down  on  every  side  those  who  were,  or 
seemed  to  be,  of  as  fair  promise  as  ourselves,  and  how  can 
we  tell  that  we  may  not  be  the  very  next  victims  ?  Others, 
we  see,  are  taken  off  in  the  confusion  of  sudden  fear 
and  an  imperfect  preparation, — their  hands  but  just  ap¬ 
plied  to  their  task,  their  first  prayer  just  leaving  their  lips, 
in  the  beginning  of  their  new  life, — or  else  in  the  very 
heat  and  pollution  of  their  vices,  in  the  folly  of  a  raging 
passion,  or  the  impurity  of  a  crying  sin,  or  in  the  midst 
of  their  drunken  revels  and  low  debaucheries,  without  a 
moment’s  warning  to  bring  the  spirit  into  a  posture  of 
calmness  and  decency,  befitting  its  awful  state  and  its 
approaching  change.  And  if  others  are  thus  dealt  with, 
why  not  we  ?  Has  a  statute  of  exemption  been  taken 
out  ?  Are  we  privileged  and  safe,  where  the  rest  are  ex¬ 
posed  to  a  common  danger  ?  If  we  are  not,  as  reason 
tells  us  we  are  not,  let  us  not  live  and  act  as  if  we  were. 
Let  us  not  be  so  mad,  as  to  stake  on  the  contingency  of 


10 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


130 


to-morrow*,  or  a  following  day,  or  even  another  year,  the 
infinite  concernments  of  futurity. 

But  suppose  we  are  spared  till  tomorrow — suppose  we 
have  reached  that  late  period  of  life,  to  which  we  deferred 
the  work  of  religion,  at  which  we  have  resolved  to  repent, 
and  get  the  better  of  our  sins,  and  give  ourselves  for  the 
remainder  of  our  days  to  God  and  to  the  calm  and  holy  du¬ 
ties  of  a  religious  preparation  ; — suppose  we  have  reached 
this  period,  and  our  good  purposes  hold  out,  what  have  we 
gained?  I  believe  you  will  say,  nothing  has  been  gained, 
and  the  loss  has  been  great.  For, 

3.  In  the  next  place,  the  work  which  we  have  to  do 
increases  in  difficulty,  in  proportion  as  it  is  delayed. 

It  is  notorious,  and  too  plain  to  need  any  thing  more 
than  a  passing  illustration,  that  they,  who  have  put  off  the 
task  of  repentance  and  religious  preparation,  have  increas¬ 
ed  the  difficulty  of  doing  what  they  intend  ultimately  to 
do,  with  every  day  that  has  been  added  to  their  lives. 
We  are  subject  to  the  same  laws  in  the  acquisition  oi 
virtue  or  religion,  as  of  other  things.  They  who  have 
been  brought  up  in  ignorance,  when  on  arriving  at  matu¬ 
rity — ashamed  of,  or  lamenting  their  deficiencies — they 
give  themselves  to  the  task  of  recovering  lost  time,  find 
the  task  heavy,  and  the  labor  insupportable  ;  for  the  mind 
through  long  disuse  has  become  dull  and  unapt  to  learn, 
and  the  thoughts,  unaccustomed  to  restraint  and  the  nar¬ 
row  confinement  of  a  single  study,  grow  weary  and 
wander  away  to  the  ends  of  the  earth ;  and  to  one  learn¬ 
ing  at  that  advanced  and  unnatural  age,  the  elements  oi 
knowledge  are  burdensome  beyond  endurance,  or  are  dis¬ 
missed  as  unattainable.  And  so  of  any  bodily  art  and  any 


131 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


11 


intellectual  science.  But  the  operation  of  this  law  is 

even  more  distinctly  and  fatally  visible  in  morals  and 

• 

religion.  If  the  studies  proper  to  youth  become  weari¬ 
some  and  cannot  so  much  as  be  attempted  in  age,  so  in 
morals  and  religion  those  habits  of  virtue  or  religion, 
which  were  hated  or  resisted  in  the  days  of  youth  and 
manhood,  cannot  be  acquired  in  the  later  periods  of  life, 
or  with  the  difficulties  of  the  task  greatly  increased.  If 
you  see  a  man  in  old  age  striving  to  perform  the  feats  of 
youth — sitting  down  to  a  daily  task — aiming  to  recover 
bya  severe  discipline  the  worldly  accomplishments,  which 
were  neglected  when  young,  you  behold  but  a  feeble 
image  of  him,  who  has  grown  gray  in  the  science  of  sin, 
aiming  on  the  sudden  to  love  and  cultivate  habits  of  vir¬ 
tuous  thought  and  action,  and  to  find  in  heavenly  contem¬ 
plations  and  the  love  of  God  that  joy  and  repose,  so  need¬ 
ful  under  the  privations  and  weaknesses  of  the  closing 
years  of  life. 

When  a  man  defers  the  labor  and  duty  of  repentance 
from  day  to  day  and  from  year  to  year,  he  little  thinks 
how  he  is  arming  with  new  means  of  resistance  the 
foe,  with  whom  he  still  purposes  one  day  to  contend. 
When  a  man  simply  postpones  his  more  religious  pur¬ 
poses,  when,  living  a  life  of  religious  indifference  and 
insensibility,  he  yet  determines  at  some  future  time  to 
rouse  up  to  the  love  of  virtue  and  excellence,  and  aspire 
after  a  likeness  to  the  children  of  God,  and  in  the  mean 
time  plods  on  in  the  same  old  way  of  religious  apathy 
and  unconcern,  waiting  for  a  convenient  season,  he  too 
little  considers  that  by  the  course  he  takes,  every  day  re¬ 
solving,  and  every  day  breaking  his  resolutions,  he  is  hard¬ 
ening  his  heart  and  blunting  his  sensibilities,  so  that  by 


12 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


132 


the  time  old  age  arrives  he  will  find  himself  wholly  indis¬ 
posed  to,  as  well  as  incapable  of,  the  long  deferred  duty. 
But  however  little  these  things  may  be  considered,  they 
are  fatally  true,  and  in  this  view  the  danger  of  delay  can¬ 
not  be  overrated.  He  who  thus  reckons  on  to-morrow  is 
treasuring  up  for  himself  inevitable  and  bitter  disappoint¬ 
ment  ;  he  is  relying  on  that  which  will  deceive  him  with 
the  treachery  of  a  rotten  staff.  He  who  imagines  that 
the  future  will  find  him  better  disposed  to  do  a  disagreea¬ 
ble  and  painful  duty  than  the  present,  is  like  one,  who 
thinks  that  the  pain  of  an  amputation  will  be  less  to-mor¬ 
row  than  to-day,  and  so  defers  it,  while  the  disease  gathers 
head  by  the  delay.  What  reason  can  the  sinner  find  to 
convince  him,  that  sin  will  grow  more  hateful  when  the 
sun  has  once  more  risen  and  set,  or  has  done  so  twenty 
times,  than  it  is  now  ?  And  what  shall  occur  to-morrow 
to  give  vigor  to  those  resolves,  which  to-day  are  weaker 
than  the  purposes  of  a  child  ?  Only  let  him  for  one  mo¬ 
ment  remember  the  past  and  its  experiences,  its  long 
series  of  irresolute  acts  and  transient  resolutions,  and  ho 
will  feel  that  all  such  reliances  on  the  future  are  delusions 
to  lure  him  on  in  the  way  that  leadeth  unto  death.  He  will 

feel  that  the  sinful  habits,  which  youth  rooted  deep  in  the 

• 

soul,  are  not  so  easily  thrown  off  and  subdued.  Alas! 
what  habits  are  like  those  of  sin,  for  strength  ?  what 

J  O 

bonds  like  the  bonds  of  sensual  indulgence  ?  what  fetters 
and  manacles  like  the  soft  and  silken  ones  of  pleasure  1 
Who  is  known  to  escape  from  them,  that  has  lain  bound  a 
willing  slave,  drunk  in  pleasure,  dissolved  in  effeminacy, 
till  age  has  once  crept  over  his  frame  and  sent  its  feeble¬ 
ness  into  the  mind  ?  What  to-morrow  of  hope  is  there  to 
such  a  one  ?  He  may  indeed  weep  and  bemoan  his  sad 


133 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


13 


captivity,  and  wish  in  his  heart  that  he  were  free  ;  but 
his  moral  force  is  all  gone  out  of  him,  and  while  he 
loathes  and  detests  them,  he  hugs  the  chains  that  bind 
him,  and  twines  them  round  and  round  his  dishonorable 
limbs.  And  though  by  a  mad  and  desperate  effort,  in  the 
sudden  energy  of  a  virtuous  purpose,  he  may  for  an 
instant  leap  clear  of  his  shackles,  he  is  soon  seen,  the  fire 
of  sin  unquenched  in  his  eye,  posting  back  to  the  beloved 
haunts  of  forbidden  joys,  and  fitting  to  his  limbs  one  by 
one  the  fetters  he  had  so  lately  broken  in  pieces.  Con¬ 
sider  the  drunkard,  the  sensualist,  the  debauchee,  look 
into  their  lives,  and  confess  that  their  progress  and  their 
fate  are  like  this.  Where  shall  we  search  for  the  reformed 
rake,  the  reclaimed  libertine,  the  cleansed  and  purified 
sot  ?  Who  has  found  their  tastes  to  be  refined  and 
exalted  by  age  ?  When  has  it  happened,  that,  oppressed 
by  the  imbecilities  of  a  premature  old  age,  they  have  then 
taken  upon  themselves  the  toils  of  virtue  and  died  its 
sincere  votaries?  Let  us  believe  then,  if  we  are  content 
to  abide  by  the  truth,  that  the  task  which  we  have  to  per¬ 
form  increases  in  difficulty  with  the  degree  in  which  we 
postpone  it,  that  sin  gathers  strength  and  winds  about  us 
its  cords  the  closer,  the  longer  we  continue  in  her  service, 
that  the  life  of  religion  appears  the  more  irksome  and 
hateful  the  longer  we  hesitate  to  begin  it,  and  if  old  age 
still  find  us  in  sin,  that  the  duties  of  that  life  will  become 
impracticable.  To-day,  then,  if  ye  will  hear  the  voice 
that  cries  to  you,  harden  not  your  hearts  ;  but  open  them, 
lay  them  bare  to  the  influences  of  the  Gospel.  Think  of 
the  issues  that  hang  on  the  present  life  ;  remember  that 
each  one  for  himself,  through  the  blessing  of  God,  is  the 
founder  and  builder  of  his  salvation.  Let  it  not  then  be 
VOL.  hi. — no.  xxxi.  2 


14 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


134 


owing  to  delay,  to  stupid  procrastination,  that  you  should 
fail  to  ensure  it. 

4.  Defer  not  till  to-morrow — because  from  the  very  na¬ 
ture  of  virtue  or  religion,  consisting  as  it  does  in  esta¬ 
blished  habits,  fixed  dispositions  and  biasses  of  the  soul, 
a  very  long  time  is  requisite  for  its  growth  and  maturity, 
and  the  least  delay  may  be  attended  by  fatal  consequen¬ 
ces.  True  religion  or  virtue,  when  it  reigns  within  as  it 
ought,  has  the  whole  circle  of  the  desires,  affections, 
appetites,  passions  subject  without  the  feeblest  show  of 
resistance  to  its  strictest  lawTs.  All  man’s  habits  are  then 
right,  all  his  emotions  holy,  all  his  thoughts  pure  and 
heavenward.  So  supreme  is  his  regard  for  the  will  of 
God,  so  exalted  his  reverence  of  his  own  nature,  that  none 
of  the  temptations  of  life  have  power  to  lead  him  into 
sin.  He  obeys  not  from  constraint  but  through  love. 
Virtue  is  his  happiness.  He  has  so  disciplined  his  na¬ 
ture,  so  denied  and  subdued  the  sensual  tendencies  of 
his  frame,  that  an  unruffled  calm  reigns  in  his  soul,  which 
no  notions  of  sin  ever  disturb.  Such  is  virtue  or  religion. 
And  is  it  the  wTork  of  a  day  ?  Does  this  universal  sub¬ 
jection  of  the  man  to  the  control  of  the  very  highest  prin¬ 
ciples  of  conduct  and  of  thought,  imply  a  moral  toil  of  light 
import,  which  can  be  gone  through  at  a  moment’s  or  a 
day’s  notice— especially  when  we  take  into  view  the 
amazing  strength  of  human  passion,  and  circumstances 
of  danger  and  difficulty  into  which  men  are  so  often 
thrown  ?  If  such  is  religion,  can  it  come  in  obedience 
to  a  few  earnest  desires?  Will  a  few  washes  detain  it? 
Will  it  come  in  answer  to  a  prayer  ?  Will  tears  buy  it? 
Can  groanings  purchase  it  ?  Will  a  wdiole  life  of  indo- 


135 


TIIE  DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


15 


lent  musing  ensure  it  1  Will  raptures,  or  extacies,  or 
frantic  cries,  tumultuous  emotions,  excited  feeling,  ima¬ 
gined  visions,  momentary  sensations,  sudden  and  tran¬ 
sient,  give  us  warrant  of  it  ?  Not  in  the  least — not  in 
the  least,  you  will  say.  Then ,  it  might  be  left  till  to-mor¬ 
row.  Then ,  a  day  or  an  hour  might  be  more  than  enough 
for  its  most  perfect  attainment.  We  might  give  to-day 
and  to-morrow  to  pleasure,  and  the  world,  and  our  lusts, 
and  count  upon  some  future  and  remote  hour,  and  feel 
safe,  though  the  work  were  deferred  to  our  dying  bed. 
For  that  which  consists  in  a  simple  emotion,  or  act  of  the 
mind,  can  be  accomplished  in  a  moment  as  well  as  in  a 
life,  in  sickness  as  well  as  in  health,  on  the  bed  of  death 
as  well  as  in  the  active  scenes  of  life  and  duty.  JBut  if 
religion  is  not  of  this  nature,  if  it  is  what  it  has  just  been 
described  to  be,  then  the  delay  which  shall  postpone  the 
commencement  of  so  great  and  desirable  a  work,  so  much 
as  another  day,  may  be  fatal  to  us. 

If,  for  instance,  our  hostility  to  virtue  is  great,  and  our 
desires  are  wayward,  and  our  minds  sensual,  and  our  af¬ 
fections  earthly  and  depraved,  the  labor  and  time  necessary 
for  our  conversion  in  all  these  particulars  will  be  great ; 
a  whole  life  of  earnest  and  undivided  effort — with  some 
natures — may  not  be  enough  to  ensure  and  complete  it. 
How  dangerous  to  put  off  the  beginning  of  the  work  from 
day  to  day  and  year  to  year,  as  multitudes  of  the  world  so 
thoughtlessly  and  madly  do  ?  Even  if  the  work  of  religion 
in  our  case  be  much  easier  than  this,  suppose  we  are  only 
cold  and  indifferent,  not  given  to  vice,  but  not  in  love  with 
virtue,  not  the  votaries  of  excess  and  slaves  to  sin,  but  not 
stretching  on  toward  perfection,  not  lovers  of  God,  willing 
to  go  through  the  world  in  a  course  of  dull  and  sluggish 


16 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


136 


obedience,  as  if  we  wished  merely  to  escape  by  this  mid¬ 
dle  path  some  great  and  threatened  evil;  suppose  this 
is  our  case,  and  we  are  at  length  awakened  to  a  sense  of 
its  danger,  and  desire  with  the  whole  soul  to  begin  the 
work  of  life  ;  is  this  either  the  work  of  a  day,  the  easy 
labor  of  a  few  months  or  years  even  ?  And  could  he  be 
wise,  who  with  a  solemn  purpose  of  salvation  in  his  heart, 
should  dare  to  put  it  off  till  to-morrow,  or  a  more  conve¬ 
nient  season  ? 

5.  Postpone  not,  the  work  of  religion  or  virtue  till 
to-morrow,  or  some  uncertain  future  time,  because  it  may 
then  lose  its  value. 

What  can  be  the  worth  of  that  surrender  of  the  mind 
to  God,  which  is  deferred  to  the  last  possible  hour  ? 

If  we  would  know  what  value  to  put  upon  the  service 
of  a  friend  or  servant,  which  after  a  long  and  vexatious 
delay  he  has  at  length  done  for  us,  or  tried  to  do,  wTe  must 
know  the  reasons  of  his  delay.  If  we  would  appreciate 
the  value  of  a  son’s  obedience,  of  his  return  to  duty,  we 
must  know  why  he  went  astray,  and  why  at  length,  after 
long  indulgence  in  riotous  living,  he  comes  back  to  his 
father’s  house.  And  so  in  religion,  and  in  relation  to  the 
eternal  happiness  of  the  soul,  if  we  would  know  the  pre¬ 
cise  value  in  the  sight  of  God  of  that  devotion  to  him  and 
his  will  which,  after  long  delays  and  much  backwardness 
and  reluctance,  we  do  at  length  in  the  decline  of  life  and 
decay  of  nature  see  fit  to  render  him,  we  must  inquire 
honestly  and  severely,  why  it  was  so  long  deferred,  why 
so  many  years  were  given  to  sin,  and  why  it  is  that  the 
remaining  few  are  so  anxiously  and  tremblingly  given  to 
God. 

It  may  not  be  positively  affirmed,  that  the  work  which 


137 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


37 


has  been  deferred  to  the  last,  will  in  every  instance  be 
rejected  as  valueless ;  God  is  merciful,  and  the  reasons 
of  delay,  if  not  valid  ones,  may  yet  be  of  some  weight  as 
arguments  of  extenuation.  But  it  may  be  said,  and  we 
cannot  help  thinking  that  it  will  prove  so,  that  the  vast 
proportion  of  those  who  either  sleep  during  these  precious 
hours  of  labor,  or  give  themselves  to  pleasure  and  sin,  or 
in  the  midst  of  a  busy  life  forget  the  soul  and  its  Maker, 
when  they  at  last,  in  the  closing  scene  of  life,  rouse  up, 
and  bethink  themselves,  and  begin  in  haste  to  do  this 
great  and  then  accumulated  task,  will  find  that  they  are 
too  late,  that  the  chance  is  gone,  the  opportunity  has 
slipped  away,  the  day  is  spent,  the  night  at  hand,  and 
there  remains  nothing  for  them  at  the  best  but  the  trem¬ 
blings  of  fear,  and  the  agonies  of  doubt  and  despair. 

Yet  there  may  be  reasons,  which  shall  satisfactorily 
account  for  the  delay  of  the  work  of  religion  and  the 
soul’s  late  approach  to  God.  They,  for  example,  who 
do  not  early  know  their  duty  as  religious  beings,  cannot  of 
course  do  it  early;  or  it  maybe  no  wonder  and  no  fault  that 
it  is  delayed  to  a  late  hour.  “How,”  says  an  apostle,  “  shall 
they  call  on  him  in  whom  they  have  not  believed,  and 
how  shall  they  believe  in  him  of  whom  they  have  not 
heard  V9  And  there  may  be  many  standing  in  this  pre¬ 
dicament — of  an  unavoidable  ignorance  of  God  and  their 
duty — beside' those  who  literally  live  beyond  the  sound  of 
the  gospel.  The  Heathen  have  not  heard  the  sound  of 
the  gospel,  for  it  has  not  gone  out  to  them.  But  there 
are  many  within  the  reach  of  our  hands,  if  we  will  stretch 
them  out,  as  ignorant  of  God  and  the  provisions  of  grace 
in  his  Son,  as  they  who  live  by  Nile  and  Ganges — and 
vol.  hi. — no.  xxxi.  2* 


18 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


138 


little,  if  at  all,  more  blameable  for  that  ignorance.  Consider 
the  miserable  wretches,  who  fill  the  cellars  and  the  gar¬ 
rets  in  all  the  lanes  and  alleys  of  a  large  city,  who  first 
drew  their  breath  in  those  sad  abodes,  and  hearing  and 
knowing  nothing  of  God,  and  having  no  examples  before 
them  but  those  of  fraud,  and  violence,  and  profane  ness, 
and  impiety,  grew  up  from  their  infancy  in  the  love  and 
relish  of  sin,  and  reached  a  full  blown  maturity  in  it,  be¬ 
fore  ever  one  thought  went  upward  to  the  Creator,  or  there 
was  a  single  consideration  started  in  the  soul  about  its 
value  and  destination  ;  consider  the  multitudes  through¬ 
out  Christian  nations  and  communities,  who  endure  the  pri¬ 
vations  of  an  extreme  poverty,  the  evils  of  that  wandering 
outcast  life  brought  upon  them  by  the  force  of  circum¬ 
stances  and  the  inscrutable  appointment  of  Providence,  or 
by  an  early  imprudence  and  improvidence  inherited  from 
parents  worse  than  themselves  ;  consider  all  these,  and 
their  imperfect  opportunities  of  arriving  at  a  knowledge 
of  the  nature  and  demands  of  religion,  and  we  may  be¬ 
lieve,  that  the  mercies  of  God  will  be  large  enough  to 
receive  and  own  them,  though  at  the  very  last  hour  they 
should  cast  themselves  down  at  his  footstool  in  the  sor¬ 
rows  and  prayers  of  a  heart-breaking  repentance.  These 
are  they,  who  in  the  midst  of  an  ignorant,  a  thoughtless, 
a  dissolute  life,  roused  by  some  fearful  providence,  are 
suddenly  converted  from  their  wicked  ways  ;  have  their 
minds  opened  to  new  views  of  life  and  the  purposes  of 
God,  and  give  themselves  to  him  in  a  ready  and  sincere 
service.  These  are  they,  who  even  at  the  last  hour  of  life, 
having  then  first  of  all  a  knowledge  of  divine  things 
spread  out  before  them,  do  on  the  instant  eagerly  embrace 
it,  weeping  that  the  golden  opportunity  had  not  sooner 


139 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


19 


been  offered,  and  showing  that  had  it  been,  it  would  have 
been  gladly  seized.  These  are  they,  who  thus  turning  to 
God  for  the  first  time  on  their  dying  beds,  may  hope  to 
find  in  him  a  compassionate  judge. 

But  let  not  this  afford  encouragement  to  the  sinner, 
who  has  long  and  wilfully  persevered  in  the  way,  which 
he  was  a  thousand  times  told,  and  himself  knew,  would 
end  in  death.  They  who  live  in  the  knowledge  and  enjoy¬ 
ment  of  Christian  truth  their  lives  long,  and  sabbath 
after  sabbath  hear  the  great  points  of  religion  and  duty 
stated  from  the  oracles  of  God,  and  are  long  purposing  a 
good  life,  but  never  find  an  hour  for  anything  but  world¬ 
liness  and  sin,  and  are  thus  at  last  surprised  and  taken 
off  to  their  account  in  the  terrors  of  an  unprepared  state, 
cannot,  on  grounds  of  reason  or  of  scripture,  hope  for  the 
mercy  extended  to  the  others.  These  are  among  the  ha¬ 
bitual  slighters  and  despisers  of  the  word  and  will  of  God, 
and  for  them  nothing  remains  but  a  fearful  looking  for 
judgment.  Virtue  and  acceptance  lie  in  listening  to  and 
embracing  the  salvation  as  soon  as  proffered,  whether 
early  or  late.  This  shows  the  child  of  God  and  the  dis¬ 
positions  of  Heaven.  But  for  those  who  have  always 
known  of  the  nature  and  obligations  of  religion,  have 
always  basked  beneath  the  light  of  two  revelations,  but 
have  not  thought  it  worth  their  while  to  turn  their 
thoughts  to  such  subjects,  have  cast  from  them  their 
present  consideration,  thinking  that  there  will  be  time 
enough  at  the  end  of  life  to  answer  all  the  claims  of  reli¬ 
gion,  and  that  in  the  mean  time  they  will  keep  on  in  the 
way  of  sin — it  is  noteasy  to  see  what  room  for  repentance 
there  can  be  in  their  case.  They  who  thus  deliberately, 
and  on  set  purpose,  as  it  were,  put  off  the  duties  and  acts 


20 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


140 


of  the  religious  life,  and  would  never  do  them  at  all  if 

% 

they  could  be  safely  avoided,  have  placed  themselves 
among  those  who  are  farthest  from  the  kingdom  of  God, 
against  whom  the  door  is  shut.  It  is  mournful  to  think 
how  large  a  proportion  these  constitute  of  the  nominally 
religious.  For  let  all  those,  in  a  Christian  community, 
who  are  hating  and  putting  far  from  them  a  religious  life, 
ask  themselves  why  it  is  they  do  so,  and  they  will  find  that 
it  is  not  because  they  are  ignorant  of  God’s  will,  but 
because  they  secretly  purpose  at  last  to  change  their  cha¬ 
racter  and  conduct,  to  repent  before  they  die,  and  thus 
make  an  atonement  for  the  evil  they  have  done.  Re¬ 
pentance  at  last  they  imagine  will  be  cheerfully  accepted, 
and  will  wipe  out  all  the  guilt  of  the  past.  But  they,  who 
go  on  sinning  in  this  intention  by  and  by  to  repent,  are 
they  who  never  can  repent.  “  The  very  intention  is  a 
fraud  ;  instead  of  being  the  parent  of  true  repentance,  is 
itself  to  be  repented  of  bitterly.”* 

If  all,  who  turned  to  God  at  last,  were  such  as  had  at 
the  last  hour  of  life  their  first  knowledge  of  God  and  his 
acquirements,  then  might  all  be  received.  But  multi¬ 
tudes  of  those,  who  turn  to  him  at  the  end  of  life,  are 
those  who  do  so  under  far  less  worthy  circumstances,  so 
that  the  value  of  that  religion  which  they  at  length  offer 
is  nothing  or  but  little.  What  are  some  of  those  circum- 
stances  of  delay  which  go  so  far  to  deprive  repentance 
and  religion  of  their  value? 

When  men  grow  religious  through  fear,  their  late  return 
to  God  through  the  influence  of  that  motive  has  lost  its 
value.  Such  men  will  live  without  religion  as  long  as  they 


*  Paley. 


141 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


21 


dare,  and  then,  when  they  think  that  their  days  are  nearly 
numbered,,  and  the  patience  of  God,  which  they  have 
tried  to  the  utmost,  well  nigh  exhausted,  and  their  case 
is  almost  desperate,  they  begin  to  look  to  their  souls’  con¬ 
cerns  and  betake  themselves  to  their  prayers  and  the 
other  holy  duties,  which  are,  as  they  fondly  believe,  in  a 
few  months  or  days  or  hours  to  prepare  them  for  heaven. 
One  man  you  will  see  giving  all  the  strength  of  his  pow¬ 
ers  to  the  world  and  self-indulgence  and  the  pursuits  of 
interest  or  sin,  putting  far  from  him,  as  a  hateful  thing, 
the  love  and  services  of  God,  till  God  sends  a  messenger 
to  him  in  the  shape  of  a  deadly  malady,  or  nature  is  worn 
out  and  ready  to  drop  in  pieces,  and  then,  that  the  world 
is  passing  away  from  him  and  all  that  remains  for  him  is 
death  and  its  consequences, — then  you  see  him  in  haste 
to  dedicate  himself  to  God  ;  then  he  would  not  for  the 
world  delay  an  hour  to  begin  his  preparation  for  eternity, 
the  terrors  of  death  are  gotten  hold  upon  him,  ?md  he 
flies  to  God  whom  he  dreads,  and  to  the  doctrines  and 
ministers  of  his  religion  which  he  has  ever  despised,  for 
succor  and  deliverance ;  and  in  the  folly  of  a  miserable 
delusion  persuades  himself,  that  he  shall  not  be  abandon¬ 
ed  to  the  darkness  and  death  of  that  pit  he  has  digged  for 
himself  and  cast  himself  into.  But  can  you  think  very 
highly  of  a  religion  like  this  ?  Has  it  anything  sound 
or  worthy  or  pure  in  it  1  Can  you  suppose  it  will  avail 
anything  ?  And  is  it  not  almost  past  belief,  that  men — 
and  in  other  things  reasonable  and  wise  men — should 
come  to  be  so  besotted  in  what  relates  to  their  souls,  as  to 
think  that  God  will  accept  in  them,  and  count  to  them  for 
righteousness,  that  conduct,  of  which  if  the  counterpart 
were  manifested  toward  them  by  their  equals  or  depend- 


22 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


142 


ants  in  the  petty  concerns  of  life,  they  would  spurn  and 
reject  it  with  indignation  for  its  utter  baseness  and  in¬ 
gratitude  and  presumptuousness  ?  Such  converts  as  these 
are  no  converts.  These  are  not  they  who  are  received  at 
the  eleventh  hour.  These  are  they,  who,  we  should  -sup¬ 
pose,  reasoning  from  analogy  and  scripture,  would  be  re¬ 
ceived  at  no  hour.  For  they  are  no  fitter  for  heaven,  by 
any  preparation  which  in  an  hour,  a  day,  or  a  month  they 
can  have  made  for  it,  than  they  were  before  their  repent¬ 
ance  began.  No  virtue  has  been  seated  in  the  soul.  No 
length  of  days  and  of  trial  has  shown  them  to  be  immove¬ 
able  in  the  rooted  accomplishments  of  the  Christian. 
This  were  impossible.  Their  Christian  and  heavenly 
practice  has  confessedly  been  nothing.  And  as  for  their 
dispositions,  they  are  of  no  more  value.  They  are  like 
the  sorrows  of  a  man  that  he  has  been  a  thief  or  a  mur¬ 
derer,  who  is  then  for  the  first  time  sorry,  when  the  judge 
utters  his  sentence  of  condemnation,  or  he  stands  upon 
the  scaffold  and  the  executioner  is  fitting  to  him  the  in¬ 
strument  of  a  shameful  death.  He  bewails  the  unhappy 
issue  of  his  bad  life,  and  he  is  sorry  therefore  that  he 
lived  it ;  he  fears  to  die  in  agony,  and  in  that  proportion 
is  he  sorry  for  his  crimes.  But  the  chance  is  many  times 
more  than  equal,  that  if  he  were  saved  from  the  death, 
he  would  go  back  again  to  his  old  practices.  We  know 
it  to  be  so  very  often  in  regard  to  those  who  suffer  the 
lesser  punishments  of  the  law,  imprisonments  and  other 
penalties.  When  the  punishment  is  withdrawn,  their 
sorrow,  if  they  felt  any,  stops,  and  they  fall  again  into 
their  former  courses.  And  so  the  sinner,  who  repents  at 
last  wholly  through  fear, — because  death  stares  him  in  the 
face, — may  not  feel  any  confidence,  that  were  the  threat- 


143 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


23 


ened  sentence  suspended,  he  would  not  sink  back  into 
the  pollution  of  his  former  vices. 

What,  then,  is  the  intrinsic  value,  and  the  acceptable¬ 
ness  with  God,  of  that  religion,  that  virtue,  that  repent¬ 
ance,  to  which  we  have  resorted  through  fear  ?  I  presume 
to  believe,  that  we  all  feel  that  they  have  no  value  at  all, 
or  none  which  can  be  estimated.  The  only  rule  we  have 
to  go  by  in  the  case  is  against  its  being  worth  anything. 
The  son,  the  friend,  the  servant,  the  prisoner,  who  re¬ 
pents  under  the  influence  of  fear,  and  acts  well  for  a  time 
under  its  felt  restraints,  we  cannot  and  do  not  trust.  He 
must  act  wrell  for  a  long  period  with  this  motive  withdrawn , 
before  he  can  be  trusted.  But  in  the  case  of  the  sinner, 
with  the  fear  of  death  before  him,  this  withdrawal  is  not 
supposable  or  possible  ;  he  dies  in  this  fear ;  and  who 
will  dare  to  believe  in,  or  trust  to  the  sincerity  and  worth 
of,  such  repentance  1  It  may  indeed  have  that  value, 
which  sorrow  for  sin  always  has.  But  it  can  have  no 
more.  And  we  know  from  experience  how  little  that  is 
apt  to  be. 

There  is  one  other  circumstance  which  tends  greatly 
to  deprive  a  late  surrender  of  the  soul  to  God  of  its 
value  ;  which  is,  that  it  may  have  been  put  off  till  tempta¬ 
tion  has  lost  its  power,  sin  its  charms,  virtue  its  difficulty, 
and  the  mind  turns  to  virtue  and  heaven,  not  because  it 
loves  them,  but  because  its  old  and  long  accustomed 
pleasures  have  ceased  to  give  any  satisfactions,  through 
the  exhaustion  and  decay  both  of  body  and  mind. 

Yet  it  must  not  be  inferred,  that  there  cannot  be  virtue 
without  great  difficulties  to  meet  and  overome.  Diffi¬ 
culty  increases  the  lustre  of  virtue,  but  is  not  essential  to 
it.  Many,  there  cannot  be  a  doubt,  pass  through  life 


24 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


144 


with  natures  so  calm  and  even,  that  they  accomplish  the 
work  of  life  well  and  with  ease.  They  feel  fewT  tempta¬ 
tions  to  vice.  They  live  in  pureness  on  earth,  and  then, 
when  the  end  comes,  they  are  fit  for  their  translation. 
The  virtue  of  such  has  all  the  value  their  nature  admits 
of,  and  all,  therefore,  that  will  be  exacted.  It  would  not 
weigh  in  equal  balance  with  that,  which  has  overcome 
bitter  and  unremitting  opposition  from  nature  within  and 
circumstances  without.  The  virtue  must  ever  be  most 
exalted,  that  has  most  to  contend  with ;  which  is  saved, 
yet  as  by  fire. 

The  noblest  offering,  accordingly,  which  religion  ever 
receives,  or  that  is  laid  upon  the  altar  of  God,  is  when, 
in  the  words  of  the  Apostle,  “  the  body  is  presented  a 
living  sacrifice,  holy  and  acceptable  before  God” — not 
after  it  has  become  dull  and  dead  through  the  imbecilities 
of  age,  or  incapacitated  both  for  virtue  and  vice  by  disease 
and  decay, — but  wThen  it  is  full  of  the  high  flush  and 
fiery  spirits  of  youth  and  manhood,  when  the  passions 
and  desires  are  in  their  strength,  when  the  by-paths  of 
sin  seem  full  of  tempting  pleasures  and  strewm  writh 
flowers,  and  it  implies  something  that  these  forms  of  sin 
are  withstood,  these  strong  and  impetuous  desires 
are  denied  and  restrained,  and  the  soul  surrendered 
to  God  in  a  severe  and  constant  obedience.  This  is  the 
purest  and  noblest  offering  religion  ever  receives,  and 
when  it  is  this  that  wre  bear  up  the  steps  of  the  altar,  it  is 
better  than  all  whole  burnt  offerings  and  sacrifices,  better 
than  all  faith,  and  penance,  and  pilgrimages,  and  the 
whole  catalogue  of  those  painful  services  which  supersti¬ 
tion  ever  pays. 

But  how  different  from  this  the  sacrifice  which  they 


145 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


25 


offer,  whose  principle  it  has  been  to  put  off  till  to-mor¬ 
row,  and  the  latest  period  possible,  the  work  in  which  reli¬ 
gion  and  virtue  consist.  What  weakness,  what  presump¬ 
tion,  or  what  hardihood  in  man,  to  suppose  that  after  the 
energy  and  enthusiasm  of  his  being  have  been  consecrated 
to  sin  and  worldliness,  God  will  accept  those  spiritless  and 
imperfect  services,  those  dull  and  wearisome  hours,  ex¬ 
torted  by  fear,  which  he  shall  at  last  choose  to  present  to 
him.  See  if  it  be  not  so.  One  man,  we  will  suppose,  is, 
during  the  busy  periods  of  life,  and  while  all  his  powers 
are  bright  and  vigorous,  devoted  to  the  pursuit  of  wealth — 
innocently  pursued,  an  innocent  pursuit.  But,  unwilling 
to  regard  himself  as  a  religious  being,  casting  away  from 
his  mind  every  idea  of  accountableness,  he  is  not  scrupu¬ 
lous  as  to  the  means  by  which  he  secures  his  end.  He 
secures  it,  and  rolls  in  wealth.  Toward  the  end,  or  past 
the  middle  of  his  days,  he  thinks  it  would  be  well,  seeing 
the  present  life  must  soon  end,  to  look  after  the  interests 
of  futurity.  And  now,  that  for  the  first  time  he  reflects 
upon  himself  and  what  he  has  been  doing,  he  is  amazed 
at  his  folly  and  struck  dumb  in  the  recollection  of  his 
wrong  deeds  and  his  ungodly  life.  Now  that  the  desire 
of  wrongdoing  has  passed  away,  and  that  has  been 
secured  for  which  it  was  resorted  to,  he  begins  to  repent 
of  it.  Now  that  the  temptation  to  his  besetting  sin  is 
removed,  he  can  abjure  it  and  resolve  to  be  virtuous.  But, 
can  he  feel  sure  that  if  fortune  had  not  so  soon  favored 
him,  extreme  old  age  or  death  itself — as  our  observation 
of  life  shows  often  to  be  the  case — would  not  have  sur¬ 
prised  him  still  practising  the  same  dishonesties  and 
oppressions  ?  And  can  he  feel  much  confidence  or  com¬ 
fort  in  his  present  virtuous  purposes,  in  his  present  de- 
VOL.  III. — no.  xxxi.  3 


26 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


146 


vout  frame  ?  Is  not  the  value  of  such  late  and  forced 
religion  exceedingly  little  in  every  view  of  the  case  ?  Does 
not  the  absence  of  temptation  and  difficulty  divest  this 
return  of  the  soul  to  God  of  all,  that  clothes  a  voluntary, 
cheerful  and  arduous  virtue  with  the  splendors  of  heaven, 
and  gives  it  the  earnest  of  an  eternal  recompense  ? 

And  so  w7ith  those  wffio  have  been  the  slaves  of  sensual 
indulgences.  What  can  be  the  worth,  or  sincerity  even, 
of  that  repentance  which  is  offered  to  God,  not  till  after 
the  cup  of  pleasure  has  been  drained  and  its  dregs  are 
found  to  be  distasteful  and  bitter  ;  not  till  the  course  of 
sin  has  been  run,  and  wreariness  and  satiety  have  succeed¬ 
ed  ;  not  till  every  wicked  and  wrorldly  desire  throughout 
a  long  life  has  been  unhesitatingly  gratified,  and  the  soul, 
then  jaded  and  worn  out,  its  passions  dead,  its  desires 
asleep,  thinks  to  give  itself  to  virtue  and  God,  and  now7 
that  earth  can  no  longer  be  enjoyed,  make  the  best  pre¬ 
paration  it  can  for  heaven  ?  But  is  this  anything  ?  Is  it 
anything  to  love  virtue,  w7hen  vice  is  no  longer  tempting  ? 
To  deny  an  appetite,  w  hen  it  no  longer  solicits  ?  To  live 
temperately,  when  the  palate  has  lost  its  relish  ?  To  give 
yourself  to  contemplation  and  devotion,  when  decrepitude 
ties  you  to  your  seat  ?  To  turn  from  the  world,  when  the 
world  has  first  turned  from  you ;  and  when  the  strength 
and  vigor  of  life  have  been  given  to  sin,  to  devote  the  few 
remaining  days  of  weakness  and  fear,  when  you  can  do 
nothing  else,  to  piety  and  penitence  ? 

Let  us  not  then  wickedly  reckon  upon  to-morrow. 
Let  us  not  defer  to  the  last  hour  of  a  life  devoted  to  the 
very  opposite  objects  and  pursuits,  the  work  of  heaven’s 
preparation.  If  our  previous  life  had  thrown  no  addi- 


147 


THE  DANCER  OF  DELAY. 


57 


tional  obstacles  in  the  way,  it  would  be  wholly  chimerical 
to  think  of  cultivating  and  rooting  in  a  few  months,  or 
days,  or  years,  at  the  end  of  life,  the  difficult  habits  of  a 
universal  Christian  virtue,  hut  with  the  evil  habits  and 
biasses  of  three  or  four  score  years  first  to  contend  with, 
to  unsettle  and  eradicate,  and  then  the  further  task  of 
creating  in  the  soul  a  disinterested  and  lofty  love  of  what 
for  so  long  a  period  it  has  hated — this  seems  wholly  im¬ 
practicable  ;  or  at  least  demands  the  strength  of  a  moral 
Hercules ;  and  few  therefore  may  be  supposed  equal  to 
its  accomplishment. 

Let  us  try  to  save  ourselves  from  the  delusions,  that  are 
so  apt  to  mislead  and  ruin  us  in  relation  to  this  whole  sub¬ 
ject.  Men  seem  obstinately  bent  on  the  belief,  that  they 
may  live  as  they  please  the  first  part  of  their  lives,  and 
that  by  and  by,  when  they  come  to  die,  will  be  time 
enough  to  repent.  They  will  sin  on  through  life,  or  at 
least  live  without  God  in  the  world,  and  then  in  the  end 
as  an  atonement,  they  will  be  sorry  for  it,  beg  pardon  of 
the  Being  whom  they  have  offended,  and  drown  them¬ 
selves  in  the  tears  of  penitence ;  going  on  the  vulgar 
idea,  that  their  habits  and  propensities  and  tastes  will 
change  with  their  desires  and  their  wishes,  and  that  re¬ 
ligion  consists  in  a  scries  of  emotions  and  feelings  which 
may  be  had  at  the  latest  hour,  instead  of  fixed  habits, 
settled  dispositions,  voluntary  preferences  ;  not  consider¬ 
ing  too,  that  if  they  have  lived  in  opposition  to  God's 
will  and  their  own  convictions  of  duty  here ,  there  can  be 
no  reason  why  they  should  not  persevere  in  the  same 
course,  and  prefer  it  too,  if  God  should  permit  them  to 
live  again  and  afford  them  further  opportunities  of  im¬ 
provement.  This  is  an  awful  consideration  to  him  who 


'28 


THE  DANGER  OF  DELAY. 


148 


xlies  without  established  habits  of  virtue,  without  a  reign¬ 
ing  desire  to  obey  God,  namely,  that  he  may  experience 
the  same  dislike  of  such  habits  hereafter  as  now,  and 
♦then,  supposing  it  to  go  on  so,  what  shall  become  of  him  ? 

Pity  is  it  that  we. cannot  bring  ourselves  to  believe, 
what  is  so  fatally  true,  that  we  shall  feel  the  same  indis¬ 
position  to  be  virtuous  and  deny  our  lusts  to-morrow  that 
we  feel  to-day,  and  the  succeeding  dav  as  to-morrow,  and 
ten  vears  hence  as  now.  It  is  ever  to-morrow,  and  to- 
morrow,  and  to-morrow,  or,  on  my  next  birth  day,  or,  the 
beginning  of  the  next  year  ;  and  when  those  days  come, 
there  is  the  same  backwardness  in  the  soul  to  do  this 
great  and  pressing  work,  and  it  is  again  deferred.  “  Now 
is  the  accepted  time  and  the  day  of  salvation.”  The 
true  Christian  knows  not  of  to-morrrow.  He  does  not 
acknowledge  it  in  his  calendar  of  time.  It  is  the  grave 
of  holy  resolves  and  good  purposes,  the  doomsday  of  the 
soul,  and  he  abjures  it. 

Let  us  not  count  on  to-morrow,  nor  rely  upon  its  op¬ 
portunities.  Its  offers,  like  those  of  a  false  friend,  are 
fair,  exceeding  fair ;  but  they  are  treacherous,  and  will 
fail  us  in  our  need.  The  work  of  religion,  if  it  ever 
begin,  begins  to  day — never  on  the  morrow. 


1st  Series 


No. 


ON 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION 


BY 


BERNARD  WHITMAN. 


PRINTED  FOR  THE 


American  ©tattartau  association. 


BOSTON, 

GRAY  AND  BOWEN,  135  WASHINGTON  STREET. 

1S30. 


Price  6  Cents 


This  Tract  was  preached  at  the  ordination  of  Rev.  Stephen 
A.  Barnard,  at  Wilton,  N.  H.  January  13, 1830.  The  Society  at 
Wilton  having  requested  it  for  the  press,  a  few  copies  have  been 
struck  off  in  the  form  of  a  Sermon;  the  phraseology  has,  however, 
been  but  slightly  altered. 


PRINTED  BY  I.  R.  BUTTS. ...BOSTON. 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


What  must  1  do  to  be  saved? — Acts,  xvi.  30. 

Can  a  more  important  question  be  asked  by  sinful 
mortals  ?  Do  we  not  all  admit  its  importance,  when 
we  feel  the  compunctions  of  an  accusing  conscience  ? 
when  we  reflect  on  our  deep  depravity  of  heart  and 
life  ?  and  when  we  consider  our  capacities  for  eternal 
suffering  or  enjoyment  1  Do  we  not  acknowledge  its 
importance,  when  we  witness  the  awful  ravages  of  wick¬ 
edness,  in  destroying  whatever  is  dignified  in  humanity  ; 
whatever  is  useful  in  character ;  whatever  is  improving 
in  social  intercourse ;  whatever  is  productive  of  happi¬ 
ness  in  domestic  life,  and  whatever  can  give  peace  and 
hope  in  the  hour  of  death  ?  Are  we  not  sensible  of  its 
importance,  when  we  behold  the  Son  of  the  living  God 
laboring,  teaching,  suffering  and  dying  to  redeem  us  from 
iniquity  and  wretchedness  ?  Are  we  not  convinced  of  its 
importance,  when  we  contemplate  the  infinite  love  of  our 
heavenly  Father,  in  sending  his  well  beloved  Son  to 
rescue  us  from  our  degradation  ;  in  giving  to  him  his 
holy  spirit  without  measure,  and  in  qualifying  him  to  be¬ 
come  the  Saviour  of  the  world  ?  Let  me  then  invite  your 
attention  to  the  infinitely  important  subject  of  Christian 
salvation. 


4 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


172 


I.  What,  then,  is  Christian  salvation  ?  It  is  deliver¬ 
ance  from  ignorance,  error  and  sin ;  and  the  possession 
of  Christian  knowledge,  virtue  and  piety.  Perhaps  I  can 
render  this  definition  more  clear  by  a  familiar  example. 
Suppose  then  that  a  learned  heathen  now  stood  before 
me  ;  one  who  worshipped  idols ;  one  who  had  heard  of 
Jesus,  and  believed  him  to  be  an  impostor  ;  one  whose 
conduct  was  openly  immoral.  I  undertake  to  convert 
him  to  Christianity  by  rational  argument  and  evangelical 
motives.  I  first  convince  him  of  the  existence  of  one 
infinite  Creator,  Governor  and  Father.  You  perceive 
that  he  would  then  be  saved  from  his  ignorance  concern¬ 
ing  the  nature  and  perfections  of  the  Supreme  Being  ; 
as  well  as  from  the  folly  and  darkness  of  idolatry.  I  next 
convince  him  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  the  divinely  com¬ 
missioned  Saviour  of  the  world.  You  perceive  that  he 
would  then  be  saved  from  his  erroneous  opinions  respect¬ 
ing  the  one  Mediator  between  God  and  men ;  as  well  as 
from  an  evil  heart  of  unbelief.  I  further  convince  him 
that  if  he  would  be  a  true  Christian,  he  must  obey  the 
instructions,  imitate  the  example  and  imbibe  the  spirit  of 
the  great  Author  and  Finisher  of  our  faith.  When  his 
actions  give  evidence  of  a  reformation  of  heart  and  life, 
you  perceive  that  he  would  be  saved  from  his  iniquities ; 
as  well  as  blessed  with  a  righteous  and  holy  character. 
When  these  things  are  accomplished,  you  must  admit 
that  he  has  experienced  Christian  salvation. 

Now  from  this  illustration,  you  may  learn  four  most 
important  gospel  truths.  First,  that  Christian  salvation 
consists  in  deliverance  from  ignorance,  error  and  sin  ; 
and  in  the  possession  of  Christian  knowledge,  virtue  and 
piety.  Secondly,  that  this  salvation  takes  place  whenever 


173  CHRISTIAN  SALVATION.  .  5 

a  person  becomes  a  practical  Christian.  Thirdly,  that  so 
long  as  any  one  continues  a  practical  Christian,  he  is  in 
no  danger  of  punishment.  And  fourthly,  that  divine 
pardon  can  be  obtained  only  by  forming  a  Christian  cha¬ 
racter.  The  truth  of  these  four  propositions,  I  will  now 
endeavor  to  prove,  from  reason,  observation,  and  the 
Scriptures. 

1.  I  am  first  to  prove  that  Christian  salvation  consists 

in  deliverance  from  ignorance,  error  and  sin  ;  and  in  the 
possession  of  Christian  knowledge,  virtue  and  piety.  Look 
then  to  the  scriptural  argument.  Why  was  our  Saviour 
called  Jesus  ?  *  Thou  shalt  call  his  name  Jesus;  for  he 

shall  save  his  people  from  their  sins.’  Why  did  he  appear 
on  earth  ?  ‘  The  son  of  man  is  come  to  save  that  which 

was  lost lost  in  darkness,  doubt  and  depravity.  Why 
did  he  commission  Paul  to  visit  the  gentiles  ?  f  To  open 
their  eyes,  and  to  turn  them  from  darkness  to  light,  and 
from  the  power  of  Satan  unto  God.’  Why  did  he  give 
himself  a  ransom  for  sinners?  *  To  redeem  us  from  all 
iniquity,  and  purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar  people,  zealous 
of  good  works.5  And  who  are  the  subjects  of  his  saving 
power  ?  ‘  He  became  the  author  of  eternal  salvation 

unto  all  them  that  obey  him.5  If  then  a  person  is  turned 
from  heathenism,  to  the  service  of  the  living  God  ;  if  he 
is  redeemed  from  his  iniquities,  and  rendered  zealous  of 
the  good  works  of  the  gospel;  he  is  surely  saved  from  his 
religious  blindness  and  iniquity,  and  possessed  of  Chris¬ 
tian  instruction  and  holiness.  Many  more  passages  of  a 
similar  import  might  be  quoted,  but  these  are  sufficient 
to  prove  the  truth  of  the  first  proposition. 

2.  I  am  secondly  to  prove  that  this  salvation  takes 
place  whenever  a  person  becomes  a  practical  Christian. 

VOL.  III. — NO.  XXXIII.  L* 


6 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


174 


Look  again  at  the  argument  from  revelation.  What  did 
Jesus  say  to  the  penitent  female  who  anointed  his  feet  at 
the  house  of  Simon  the  Pharisee  ?  ‘  Thy  faith  hath 

saved  thee;  go  in  peace.5  Hath  saved  thee;  not  will 
save  thee  at  some  future  period  ;  but,  hath  even  now  se¬ 
cured  thy  salvation.  His  miraculous  powers  enabled  him 
to  know  that  her  repentance  was  sincere,  that  her  reform¬ 
ation  was  commenced,  and  that  her  belief  in  his  divine 
mission  would  influence  her  to  strive  for  Christian  perfec¬ 
tion.  What  is  the  exhortation  of  Paul  to  his  beloved 
Timothy?  ‘Be  thou  partaker  of  the  afflictions  of  the 
gospel,  according  to  the  power  of  God,  who  hath  saved 
us.’  Hath  saved  us;  not  will  hereafter  confer  salvation; 
but  hath  already  saved  us,  by  aiding  us  in  becoming  obe¬ 
dient  disciples  of  Christ  Jesus.  What  is  his  testimony 
concerning  God  in  his  letter  to  Titus  ?  ‘  According  to  his 
mercy  he  saved  us.5  He  saved  us.  If  he  had  before  saved 
them,  their  salvation  could  not  be  an  event  of  futurity. 
The  same  apostle  makes  these  explicit  declarations  to  his 
converts.  c  We  are  saved  by  hope.5  ‘  By  grace  ye  are 
saved.5  Are  saved!  In  both  cases  the  salvation  was 
then  experienced.  This  meaning  is  more  strongly  ex¬ 
pressed  in  the  original.  The  literal  translation  is  this  — 
we  were  saved  by  hope ;  by  grace  ye  iverc  saved.  Thus 
no  doubt  remains  that  he  spoke  of  an  event  already  passed. 
Take  one  example  from  the  epistle  of  Peter.  4  The  like 
figure  whereunto  even  baptism  doth  now  save  us.5  Doth 
now  save  us  !  This  ordinance  was  then  leading  them  to  the 
acquisition  of  Christian  knowledge,  virtue  and  piety  ;  and 
thus  saving  them  from  ignorance,  error  and  sin.  If  then 
our  Saviour  pronounced  his  disciples  saved,  as  soon  as 
they  cordially  embraced  his  religion  ;  and  if  the  inspired 


t 


175  CHRISTIAN  SALVATION.  7 

apostles  declared  that  their  reformed  converts,  as  well  as 
themselves,  had  already  experienced  salvation ;  surely 
Christian  salvation  takes  place  whenever  a  person  be¬ 
comes  a  practical  Christian.  Many  similar  passages 
might  be  produced,  but  these  are  sufficient  to  prove  the 
truth  of  the  second  proposition. 

£.  I  am  thirdly  to  prove  that  so  long  as  any  one  con¬ 
tinues  a  practical  Christian,  he  is  in  no  danger  of  punish¬ 
ment.  He  will  not  indeed  be  saved  from  temporal 
afflictions,  as  were  many  of  them  who  attended  upon  our 
Lord’s  personal  ministry  ;  but  these  are  not  to  be  con¬ 
sidered  punishments.  Still  the  words  save,  saved,  salva¬ 
tion  and  Saviour  are  frequently  used  in  the  scriptures  in 
reference  to  these  evils.  From  such  trials,  the  sincere 
Christian  is  now  delivered  only  so  far  as  his  cheerful  re¬ 
signation  raises  him  above  their  influence.  But  he  is  in 
no  danger  of  suffering  that  misery  which  is  the  natural 
consequence  of  sin.  For  there  is  a  hell  only  for  the  im¬ 
penitent  and  disobedient ;  and  what  is  called  the  wrath 
of  God  abides  only  on  those  who  are  his  enemies  by  their 
wicked  works.  And  there  is  no  future  condemnation  to 
those  who  walk  not  after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  spirit. 
For  what  does  Paul  say  to  his  Roman  converts  ?  1  God 

commendeth  his  love  toward  us,  in  that,  while  we  were 
yet  sinners,  Christ  died  for  us.  Much  more  then,  being 
now  justified  by  his  blood,  we  shall  be  saved  from  wrath 
through  him.  For  if,  when  we  were  enemies,  we  were 
reconciled  to  God  through  the  death  of  his  Son ;  much 
more,  being  reconciled,  we  shall  be  saved  by  his  life.” 
Here  you  perceive  that  two  kinds  oL  salvation  are  men¬ 
tioned.  The  first  was  deliverance  from  sin,  which  they 
had  already  experienced  ;  the  second  would  be  deliver- 


8 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


176 


ance  from  wrath,  or  the  natural  consequence  of  sin,  in  a 
future  world,  which  would  take  place  hereafter.  For  if 
they  remained  holy,  no  torment  would  await  their  en¬ 
trance  upon  another  existence.  Paul’s  only  fear  on  this 
subject  was,  lest  any  should  abandon  the  Christian  cha¬ 
racter,  and  become  so  wicked  as  to  incur  future  punish¬ 
ment.  And  although  an  inspired  apostle,  he  manifests 
his  sense  of  the  danger,  even  in  regard  to  himself;  for 
he  has  written  this  passage.  4  But  I  keep  under  my  body, 
and  bring  it  into  subjection ;  lest  that  by  any  means, 
when  I  have  preached  unto  others,  I  myself  should  he  a 
castaway .’  A  few  other  passages  might  be  adduced  to 
prove  that  the  practical  Christian  has  nothing  to  fear  but 
sin  ;  but  eno*ugh  has  been  said  to  prove  the  truth  of  the 
third  proposition. 

4.  I  am  fourthly  to  prove,  that  divine  pardon  can  be 
obtained  only  by  the  formation  of  a  Christian  character. 
And  what  is  divine  pardon  ?  Nothing  more  nor  less  than 
deliverance  from  the  power  and  punishment  of  sin ;  and 
the  possession  and  enjoyment  of  holiness.  And  can  the 
sinner  secure  this  without  reformation  and  improvement  ? 
Look  once  more  to  the  law  and  the  testimony.  What  are 
.  the  words  of  Isaiah  ?  4  Let  the  wicked  forsake  his  way, 

and  the  unrighteous  man  his  thoughts ;  and  let  him  re¬ 
turn  unto  the  Lord,  and  he  will  have  mercy  upon  him ; 
and  to  our  God,  for  he  will  abundantly  pardon.’  This  is 
perfectly  plain.  If  the  depraved  forsakes  his  depravity, 
he  escapes  its  punishment.  What  are  the  words  of  Jere¬ 
miah  ?  4  It  may  be  that  the  house  of  Judah  will  hear  all 

the  evil  which  I  purpose  to  do  unto  them,  that  they  may 
return  every  man  from  his  evil  way ;  that  I  may  forgive 
their  iniquity  and  sin.’  This  is  equally  plain.  The  house 


177 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


9 


of  Judah  could  obtain  forgiveness  only  by  forsaking  their 
iniquities.  And  what  was  our  Saviour’s  commission  to 
his  apostles  ?  ‘  That  repentance  and  remission  of  sins 

should  be  preached  in  his  name.’  And  what  is  repent¬ 
ance,  but  forsaking  wickedness  and  acquiring  holiness  ? 
and  what  is  the  remission  of  sins,  but  deliverance  from 
their  power  and  punishment  ?  And  what  was  the  ex¬ 
hortation  of  Peter  ?  ‘  Repent  and  be  converted.’  Why? 

4  That  your  sins  may  be  blotted  out.5  You  perceive  that 
pardon  and  reformation  are  inseparable.  Whoever  for¬ 
sakes  any  sin,  that  sin  is  immediately  pardoned  ;  and 
until  a  sin  is  forsaken,  it  cannot  be  forgiven.  This  is 
the  current  language  of  revelation.  A  host  of  texts  might 
be  produced  in  proof  of  this  assertion  ;  but  sufficient  have 
been  quoted  to  prove  the  truth  of  the  fourth  proposition. 

But  I  will  not  trust  to  scriptural  evidence  alone.  I  ap¬ 
peal  to  your  observation.  Take  the  man  of  intemperance. 
You  perceive  that  his  unlawful  indulgence  causes  imme¬ 
diate  pain,  and  not  unfrequently  sickness.  The  seeds  of 
various  diseases  soon  take  deep  root,  and  undermine  the 
constitution ;  the  balance  of  temper  is  destroyed  ;  the 
tender  sympathies  of  the  soul  are  perverted  ;  the  benevo¬ 
lent  affections  of  the  heart  are  brutalized  ;  the  moral 
powers  are  rendered  insensible  to  good  impressions  ;  the 
intellectual  faculties  are  enervated  and  shattered  ;  pro¬ 
perty  is  dissipated  ;  family  and  friends  are  disgraced ;  and 
the  order  of  social  life  is  disturbed.  Add  to  all  this,  his 
distressing  reflections  on  the  past ;  his  inefficient  and 
broken  resolutions  of  the  present ;  his  dismal  forebodings 
of  the  future,  and  what  earthly  punishment  more  severe 
need  be  imagined?  And  how  is  he  to  obtain  pardon  for 
this  sin?  Suppose  God  should  audibly  pronounce  his 


10 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


178 


forgiveness  from  heaven  ;  would  this  insure  his  happi¬ 
ness,  so  long  as  he  continued  intemperate  ?  No.  It 
would  be  of  no  service  whatever  for  him  to  know  that  he 
was  pardoned  in  the  mind  of  his  heavenly  Father,  so  long 
as  his  punishment  was  not  removed.  He  can  secure  en¬ 
joyment  only  by  reformation.  So  it  is  with  every  sin  of 
heart  and  life.  We  may  pray  for  forgiveness,  and  appeal 
to  the  divine  mercy  ;  but  unless  we  endeavour  to  forsake 
our  iniquities,  we  only  prove  ourselves  hypocrites.  The 
husbandman  may  as  well  expect  a  harvest,  without  any 
cultivation  of  the  soil.  No.  All  such  expectations  are 
irrational  and  unscriptural.  God  is  indeed  sufficiently 
merciful.  He  is  infinite  love.  He  is  a  perfect  Father  of 
all  his  children.  But  no  change  takes  place  in  his  cha¬ 
racter  when  our  sins  are  pardoned.  The  reformation 
must  be  in  ourselves.  And  although  we  were  already 
pardoned  in  his  mind,  we  could  not  escape  from  the  pun¬ 
ishment  of  a  single  sin,  until  it  was  forsaken.  Conse¬ 
quently,  we  can  obtain  the  divine  pardon  only  by  forming 
a  Christian  character. 

But  will  not  the  punishment  frequently  continue  after 
the  sin  is  forsaken  ?  Will  reformation  restore  to  the  man 
of  intemperance,  his  impaired  constitution,  his  wasted 
estate,  his  lost  confidence,  and  his  self-approbation  ? 
Surely  not.  The  consequences  of  sin  must  remain  long 
after  it  is  forsaken  ;  perhaps  forever.  And  for  this  there 
can  be  no  immediate  pardon  :  because  so  long  as  we 
remain  the  same  persons,  whether  in  time  or  eternity, 
our  memories  must  remind  us  of  our  past  transgressions. 
Do  you  suppose  that  Judas  can  ever  forget  that  he  be¬ 
trayed  his  Master  ?  And  whene  ver  this  base  act  of  trea¬ 
chery  occurs  to  his  mind,  must  it  not  fill  his  soul  with  the 


179 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


11 


most  excruciating  anguish  ?  Yes.  Sin  is  the  same  to 
the  soul  that  poison  is  to  the  body.  Take  poison,  and 
you  injure  or  destroy  your  health.  Commit  sin,  and  you 
injure  or  destroy  your  soul’s  happiness.  Expel  the  poi¬ 
son,  and  you  regain  your  health  ;  although  your  constitu¬ 
tion  will  be  injured  in  proportion  to  the  quantity  taken, 
and  the  time  it  is  retained  in  the  system.  Forsake  sin, 
and  you  regain  your  happiness  ;  although  your  soul  will 
be  injured  in  proportion  to  the  degree  and  duration  of 
your  depravity ;  and  you  must  be  forever  the  worse  for 
the  sins  committed.  Until  you  expel  the  poison,  you  can¬ 
not  regain  your  health.  Until  you  forsake  your  sin,  you 
cannot  escape  its  punishment,  nor  experience  divine  par¬ 
don,  nor  obtain  Christian  salvation.  I  must  conclude, 
therefore,  that  the  four  propositions  are  proved  true,  from 
reason,  observation,  and  scripture. 

II.  By  whom  are  we  saved  ?  By  our  heavenly  Father. 
He  is  the  original  fountain  of  all  our  salvation.  He  saves 
us  from  temporal  inconveniences  and  calamities,  inas¬ 
much  as  he  provides  the  means  for  our  daily  support  and 
enjoyment.  He  saves  us  from  sin  and  its  consequences, 
inasmuch  as  he  furnishes  the  means  of  our  moral  an J  re¬ 
ligious  improvement  and  happiness.  Consequently,  he  is 
our  supreme  Saviour.  The  truth  of  this  proposition  I  will 
now  prove  from  reason  and  scripture. 

1.  Reason  teaches  us  that  our  heavenly  Father  is  our 
supreme  Saviour.  How  so  1  Because  he  is  the  original 
author  of  our  lives,  and  all  things  in  existence.  And  for 
what  purpose  has  he  given  us  being  ?  To  increase  his 
own  felicity  ?  Surely  not.  For  he  is  the  perfect,  inde¬ 
pendent  Creator  ;  and  consequently,  his  happiness  could 


12 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


180 


neither  be  increased  nor  diminished.  He  must  therefore 
have  created  us  solely  for  our  own  enjoyment ;  because 
he  is  infinite  love.  This  is  also  evident  from  our  very 
constitution,  and  our  unnumbered  blessings.  Now  if  this 
be  the  fact,  and  if  he  has  implanted  within  us  an  unceas¬ 
ing  craving  for  some  higher  good  ;  and  if  he  has  furnished 
us  with  various  capacities  for  sensitive  and  rational  hap¬ 
piness  ;  and  if  he  has  placed  us  in  a  scene  of  constant 
danger  and  want,  does  it  not  follow  from  the  very  attri¬ 
butes  of  his  nature,  that  he  will  furnish  the  necessary 
means  for  the  gratification  of  our  innocent  desires,  and 
for  our  protection  from  the  various  evils  to  which  we  are 
exposed  1  Not  only  so.  If  he  has  subjected  us  to  con¬ 
tinual  temptation  ;  and  if  he  has  encouraged  an  insatiable 
longing  for  future  existence,  is  it  not  clear  from  the  very 
perfections  of  his  character,  that  he  will  provide  the 
means  of  escape  from  iniquity,  and  open  before  us  the 
portals  of  immortality,  and  furnish  us  with  opportunities 
for  the  perfection  of  our  spiritual  nature  1  Should  an 
earthly  parent  leave  his  dependent  child  to  perish,  either 
by  accident,  or  cruelty,  or  starvation,  should  you  not  pro¬ 
nounce  him  an  inhuman  monster  ?  How  infinitely  more 
cruel  and  unnatural  would  it  be  for  the  perfect,  supreme 
Creator  of  the  universe  to  forsake  the  children  of  his 
affection,  and  neglect  to  make  provision  for  their  animal 
and  spiritual  wants.  But  this  is  impossible.  For  a  per¬ 
fect  God  must  necessarily  be  unchangeable  in  his  charac¬ 
ter.  And  if  love  prompted  him  to  create  intelligent  off¬ 
spring,  that  same  affection  must  ever  dispose  him  to  regard 
them  with  tenderness  ;  and  to  be  their  eternal  Benefactor, 
Preserver,  Father,  and  Saviour.  And  universal  experience 
has  thus  far  declared,  that  the  Lord  is  good  to  all,  and 


181 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


13 


that  his  tender  mercies  are  over  all  the  works  of  his 
hands  ;  and  consequently,  he  must  remain  the  universal 
and  supreme  Saviour. 

2.  Revelation  also  teaches  us  that  our  heavenly  Father 
is  our  supreme  Saviour.  Turn  to  the  scriptures,  and 
you  will  perceive  that  he  is  represented  as  the  original 
source  of  all  temporal  salvation.  You  will  find  this  deci¬ 
sive  declaration  in  the  book  of  Isaiah.  <  I,  even  I,  am 
the  Lord  ;  and  besides  me  there  is  no  Saviour.’  You 
may  find  a  similar  expression  in  the  book  of  Hosea.  ‘  Yet 
I  am  the  Lord  thy  God  from  the  land  of  Egypt,  and  thou 
shalt  know  no  God  but  me  ;  for  there  is  no  Saviour  be¬ 
sides  me,’  Notwithstanding  these  positive  assertions, 
you  learn  that  this  only  Saviour  employs  agents  to  effect 
the  various  purposes  of  temporal  protection  and  preserva¬ 
tion.  Look  again  to  the  writings  of  Isaiah.  1  For  they 
shall  cry  unto  the  Lord  because  of  their  oppressors,  and 
he  shall  send  them  a  Saviour,  a  great  one,  and  he  shall 
deliver  them.’  And  in  Nehemiah  you  find  this  passage. 

‘  In  the  time  of  their  trouble,  when  they  cried  unto  thee, 
thou  heardest  them  from  heaven,  and  according  to  thy 
manifold  mercies,  thou  gavest  them  saviours,  who  saved 
them  out  of  the  hands  of  their  enemies.’  Now  these  texts 
prove  most  satisfactorily,  that  although  there  is  no  Saviour 
besides  Jehovah  ;  yet  that  he  frequently  raised  up  and 
qualified  other  saviours,  to  redeem  his  chosen  people  from 
temporal  calamities.  The  same  kindness  he  continues 
to  manifest  towards  us.  For  he  is  now,  as  ever,  the  ori¬ 
ginal  source  of  all  our  means  of  support,  comfort,  and  im¬ 
provement.  By  the  various  gifts  of  his  providence,  he 
now  saves  us  from  hunger  and  nakedness,  from  slavery 
and  oppression,  from  war  and  pestilence,  from  ignorance 


14 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


182 


and  crime,  from  sickness  and  death.  And  he  freely  gives 
us,  through  a  variety  of  second  causes,  all  our  talents, 
privileges,  blessings,  and  hopes.  ‘  For  of  him,  and  through 
him,  and  to  him,  are  all  things  ;  and  in  him  we  all  live, 
and  move,  and  have  our  being.’ 

3.  Revelation  likewise  instructs  us  that  our  heavenly  Fa¬ 
ther  is  our  supreme  Saviour  in  spiritual  concerns.  You  find 
this  declaration  in  Paul’s  first  epistle  to  Timothy.  ‘  This 
is  good  and  acceptable  in  the  sight  of  God  our  Saviour, 
who  will  have  all  men  to  be  saved,  and  to  come  unto  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth. ;  Now  this  refers  to  the  salvation 
of  the  soul  from  sin  and  wretchedness ;  and  expresses 
very  clearly  the  desire  of  our  Father  to  have  all  his  chil¬ 
dren  embrace  the  gospel  and  reap  its  rich  rewards.  In 
the  same  epistle,  you  find  another  passage  equally  explicit. 

‘  We  trust  in  the  living  God,  who  is  the  Saviour  of  all 
men,  specially  of  those  that  believe.’  This  needs  no 
explanation.  Not  only  so.  The  beloved  disciple  thus 
affirms.  ‘  God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only 
begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  believeth  on  him,  should 
not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life.’  This  fully  proves 
that  we  are  solely  indebted  to  our  Father  for  the  unspeak¬ 
able  gift  of  a  spiritual  Saviour  ;  and  for  all  the  means  of 
moral  renovation  and  improvement.  This  is  confirmed 
by  Paul.  ‘  All  things  are  of  God,  who  hath  reconciled 
us  to  himself  by  Jesus  Christ.’  In  another  place,  he  uses 
this  language.  ‘  But  after  that  the  kindness  and  love  of 
God  our  Saviour  toward  men  appeared,  not  by  works  of 
righteousness  which  we  have  done,  but  according  to  his 
mercy,  he  saved  us,  by  the  washing  of  regeneration  and 
renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  through  Jesus  Christ  our 
Saviour.’  You  perceive  that  God  and  his  Son  are  both 


183 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


15 


called  Saviours  in  the  same  verse.  But  you  also  notice 
that  it  is  expressly  asserted,  that  God  had  saved  them  by 
Christ  Jesus.  The  one  was  the  author  of  salvation,  and 
the  other  the  instrument.  Many  more  passages  of  the 
same  import  might  be  quoted  ;  but  these  are  sufficient  to 
prove  that  our  heavenly  Father  is  our  supreme  Saviour. 
Yes  ;  he  is  the  original  fountain  of  all  temporal  and 
spiritual  salvation,  as  1  have  fairly  proved  from  reason 
and  scripture. 

III.  By  what  means  does  our  heavenly  Father  effect 
our  Christian  salvation  ?  By  certain  instruments,  princi¬ 
ples  and  motives.  The  most  important  of  these  I  will 
now  describe. 

1.  Our  heavenly  Father  saves  us  through  the  instru¬ 
mentality  of  Christ  Jesus.  He  brought  him  into  being, 
commissioned  him  to  be  a  Saviour  of  all  who  would  come 
unto  him,  and  qualified  him  for  the  successful  execution 
of  his  divine  office.  These  truths  are  plainly  taught  in 
various  parts  of  the  unerring  scriptures.  Turn  to  the 
book  of  Acts,  and  you  hear  the  inspired  apostles  address¬ 
ing  their  brethren  in  these  words.  4  Then  Peter  and  the 
other  apostles  answered— -We  ought  to  obey  God  father 
than  men.  The  God  of  our  fathers  raised  up  Jesus, 
whom  ye  slew  and  hanged  on  a  tree  ;  him  hath  God  ex¬ 
alted  with  his  right  hand,  to  be  a  prince  and  a  Saviour, 
for  to  give  repentance  unto  Israel,  and  forgiveness  of 
sins.’  You  here  learn  that  the  God  of  the  Jews  had 
brought  Jesus  into  existence,  and  qualified  him  to  be  an 
instrument  of  their  salvation.  Take  another  passage  from 
the  letter  of  the  beloved  John.  ‘  And  we  have  seen  and 
do  testify,  that  the  Father  sent  the  Son  to  be  the  Saviour 
of  the  world.1  You  here  perceive  that  our  Father  sent 


IG  CHRISTIAN  SALVATION,  184 

his  Son  to  be  a  Saviour,  not  merely  for  the  Jews,  but  for 
all  nations.  More  passages  of  the  same  character  might 
be  easily  adduced  ;  but  these  are  amply  sufficient  to  prove 
that  our  heavenly  Father  has  created  and  commissioned 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  to  be  an  instrument  of  salvation  to 
mankind. 

But  how  is  Christ  Jesus  an  instrument  for  our  salva¬ 
tion  ?  Let  Peter  answer  this  question.  ‘  God  having 
raised  up  his  Son  Jesus,  sent  him  to  bless  you,  in  turning 
away  every  one  of  you  from  his  iniquities.5  So  far  then 
as  he  turns  any  one  from  his  wickedness,  so  far  he  saves 
him  from  its  punishment,  and  no  farther  ;  and  he  effects 
the  salvation  of  sinners  in  no  other  way.  But  in  what 
manner  does  he  turn  us  from  our  sins?  Let  this  question 
be  answered  by  the  experience  of  those  already  saved  ; 
by  the  best  Christians  of  all  denominations.  Inquire 
what  first  induced  them  to  become  sincere  disciples  of 
Jesus,  and  you  will  receive  a  variety  of  replies.  You  will 
find  that  some  have  been  early  and  successfully  trained 
up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord,  and  gra¬ 
dually  drawn  into  the  paths  of  holiness,  by  the  pure  mo¬ 
rality  of  the  gospel  ;  while  others  have  been  converted 
more  suddenly  in  maturer  years,  by  the  great  discoveries 
of  Christianity.  You  will  find  that  some  have  been  ex¬ 
cited  to  consideration  and  amendment,  by  the  example  of 
Jesus  ;  while  others  have  been  influenced  to  obedience, 
by  his  benevolent  labors  and  stupendous  miracles.  You 
will  find  that  some  have  been  stimulated  to  exertion  in 
the  Christian  life,  by  his  glorious  promises  of  a  heavenly 
reward ;  while  others  have  been  savingly  alarmed,  by  the 
awful  threatenings  of  future  punishment.  You  will  find 
that  some  have  been  melted  to  contrition  by  his  agonizing 
sufferincrs  ;  while  others  have  bowed  their  stubborn  wills 


185 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


17 


before  the  majesty  of  his  cross.  From  these  and  similar 
confessions,  you  must  conclude  that  Jesus  saves  us  from 
our  iniquities,  by  his  life  and  labors ;  by  his  example  and 
instructions  ;  by  his  consolations  and  discoveries  ;  by  his 
promises  and  threatenings,  and  by  his  sufferings  and 
death.  And  what  is  proved  true  by  actual  experience, 
you  find  confirmed  by  the  clearest  declarations  of  scrip¬ 
ture.  For  spiritual  salvation  is  there  ascribed  to  these 
various  causes  ;  sometimes  to  one,  sometimes  to  another, 
and  sometimes  to  all  combined.  The  whole  process  is 
therefore  perfectly  plain  and  intelligible.  Jesus  exerts 
no  mysterious  or  miraculous  influence  over  our  souls. 
So  far  as  he  induces  us  to  become  good,  so  far  he  is  in- 
strumental  in  our  salvation,  and  no  farther ;  for  we  are 
not  now  saved,  and  we  shall  never  be  saved,  any  farther 
than  we  become  holy.  This  is  expressly  declared  by  our 
Saviour  himself.  4  Not  every  one  that  saith  unto  me  — 
Lord,  Lord,  shall  enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ;  but 
he  that  doeth  the  will  of  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven.’ 
The  writer  to  the  Hebrews  is  equally  decided.  4  Christ 
Jesus  became  the  author  of  eternal  salvation  unto  all  them 
that  obey  him.’  Consequently,  those  who  continue  dis- 
obedient  are  not  partakers  of  his  salvation. 

2.  Our  heavenly  Father  saves  us  through  the  instru¬ 
mentality  of  his  holy  word.  This  truth  is  likewise  plainly 
taught  in  scripture.  What  is  the  exhortation  of  James 
to  his  readers  ?  4  Receive  with  meekness  the  ingrafted 

word,  which  is  able  to  save  your  souls.’  You  find  the 
following  petition  in  one  of  our  Saviour  s  last  prayers. 

4  Sanctify  them  through  thy  truth  ;  thy  word  is  truth.’ 
Paul  addresses  his  beloved  Timothy  in  these  words. 

4  From  a  child  thou  hast  known  the  holy  scriptures, 
vol.  hi. — NO.  XXXIII.  2* 


IS 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


186 


which  are  able  to  make  thee  wise  unto  salvation,  through 
faith  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus.’  And  Peter  addresses 
his  converts  as  already  saved  by  this  instrument.  1  See 
that  ye  love  one  another  with  a  pure  heart  fervently  ;  be¬ 
ing  born  again,  not  of  corruptible  seed,  but  of  incorrupti¬ 
ble,  by  the  word  of  God,  which  liveth  and  abideth 
forever.’  These  passages  are  sufficient  to  prove  that  the 
scriptures  of  truth  are  a  divinely  appointed  instrument  of 
salvation  ;  and  that  they  contain  the  necessary  efficacy 
to  accomplish  this  glorious  purpose. 

But  how  does  the  bible  effect  our  salvation  1  By  warn¬ 
ing  us  of  our  moral  dangers,  furnishing  remedies  for  our 

spiritual  diseases,  and  providing  instruction  in  relation  to 

. 

our  immortal  interests.  For  we  are  assured  that  ‘  all 
scripture,  given  by  inspiration  of  God,  is  profitable  for 
doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  correction,  for  instruction  in 
righteousness.’  Let  me  then  illustrate  this  position  by 
a  familiar  example.  Give  a  navigator  an  accurate  chart 
of  some  dangerous  coast ;  let  it  exhibit  a  perfect  delinea¬ 
tion  of  all  rocks,  shoals,  and  quicksands ;  let  the  course 
of  safety  be  described  with  equal  fidelity  and  plainness. 
Now  if  he  follow  the  right  directions,  his  chart  will  be 
instrumental  in  the  salvation  of  himself,  his  crew  and  his 
vessel ;  but  if  he  proceed  in  a  contrary  path,  his  neglect 
will  expose  him  to  all  the  calamities  of  shipwreck.  So 
with  the  bible.  Put  it  into  the  hands  of  an  intelligent 
child  of  God,  and  he  will  readily  perceive  that  it  discloses 
the  moral  dangers  to  which  he  is  exposed,  and  that  it 
discovers  a  sure  and  safe  way  to  holiness  and  heaven. 
He  will  feel  conscious  of  freedom  and  ability,  either  to 
disregard  its  admonitions,  or  to  comply  with  its  requisi¬ 
tions.  Now  if  he  follow  its  instructions,  he  will  assuredly 


187 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION, 


19 


be  saved  from  ignorance,  vice  and  misery  ;  and  rendered 
enlightened,  virtuous  and  happy.  But  if  he  slight  its 
warnings,  despise  its  counsels  and  disobey  its  injunc¬ 
tions,  he  will  as  certainly  experience  the  consequences  of 
ignorance,  error  and  sin.  The  bible  is  instrumental  in 
effecting  his  salvation  in  the  same  way  that  a  chart  saves 
the  mariner  from  shipwreck.  The  divine  word  contains 
the  same  efficacy  now  as  at  the  period  of  its  first  promul¬ 
gation.  Whoever  sincerely  endeavors  to  make  it  the 
standard  of  his  faith  and  practice,  will  inevitably  secure 
salvation,  although  he  should  be  deprived  of  the  privilege 
of  hearing  the  preached  gospel.  But  no  one  should  be  so 
foolish  as  to  suppose  this  holy  book  possesses  any  mysteri* 
ous  or  miraculous  charm.  No.  You  may  cover  every 
shelf  in  your  house  with  bibles  ;  you  may  place  them  un¬ 
der  every  pillow ;  you  may  even  bind  them  to  every  heart ; 
and  if  you  use  them  in  no  other  way,  you  may  as  well 
expect  salvation  from  your  almanac.  No.  The  bible 
will  do  you  no  good,  unless  you  study  its  pages,  and  un¬ 
derstand  its  contents,  and  obey  its  instructions  ;  and  then 
it  will  prove  instrumental  in  your  salvation  just  so  far  as 
it  makes  you  wiser,  better  and  holier,  and  no  farther. 

3.  Our  heavenly  Father  saves  us  through  the  influence 
of  his  holy  spirit.  This  fact  is  plainly  taught  in  the  gospel. 
Look  into  the  writings  of  Paul.  T o  the  Philippians  he  saith 
—  ‘  Work  out  your  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling  ; 
for  it  is  God  which  worketh  in  you  both  to  will  and  to  do 
of  his  good  pleasure.’  To  the  Thessalonians  he  saith — 
1  God  hath  chosen  you  to  salvation  through  the  sanctifica¬ 
tion  of  the  spirit.’  And  again,  4  God  hath  also  given  un¬ 
to  us  his  holy  spirit.’  To  the  Romans,  speaking  of  the 
gentiles,  he  saith — ‘Being  sanctified  by  the  holy  ghost/ 


20 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


18S 


And  to  Titus,  he  saith, —  ‘  God  saved  us  by  the  renewing 
of  the  holy  ghost.’  More  passages  of  a  similar  import 
might  be  readily  quoted,  but  these  satisfactorily  prove 
that  our  heavenly  Father  saves  us  through  the  influence 
of  his  holy  spirit. 

But  how  does  the  spirit  of  God  effect  our  salvation  ? 
Let  an  inspired  apostle  answer  this  question.  ‘  The 
spirit  also  helpeth  our  infirmities/  But  how  is  this  help 
communicated  ?  In  a  supernatural  manner  ?  Does  it 
give  us  the  power  of  working  miracles,  and  of  speaking 
unknown  languages  !  No.  It  was  so  imparted  to  the 
apostles  and  some  of  their  first  Jewish  and  Gentile  con¬ 
verts  ;  so  as  to  convince  them  more  deeply  of  the  truth 
of  Christianity,  and  aid  them  more  effectually  in  its  pro¬ 
pagation.  But  we  have  no  good  evidence  that  any  be¬ 
lievers  have  received  this  special  influence  of  the  spirit 
since  the  apostolic  age.  —  Is  it  communicated  in  an  irre¬ 
sistible  manner  ?  Does  it  compel  us  to  become  Chris¬ 
tians  ?  No.  For  this  would  destroy  our  accountableness, 
and  directly  contradict  the  scriptures.  These  commands 
are  plainly  given.  ‘  Quench  not  the  spirit.’  ‘  Grieve 
not  the  holy  spirit  of  God/  And  this  charge  was  boldly 
made  to  the  Jewrs  ;  ‘  Ye  stiff-necked  and  uncircumcised 
in  heart  and  ears,  ye  do  always  resist  the  holy  ghost/ 
If  they  had  power  to  withstand  its  influence,  we  must 
surely  possess  the  same  power,  for  human  nature  in  this 
respect  remains  unchanged.  —  Is  it  communicated  in  an 
arbitrary  manner  ?  Is  it  bestowed  without  any  conditions? 
No.  It  is  promised  to  those,  and  those  only,  who  ask, 
seek,  and  knock  for  its  assistance.  ‘  If  ye  then,  being 
evil,  know  how  to  give  good  gifts  unto  your  children, 
how  much  more  shall  your  heavenly  Father  give  the 


189 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION, 


21 


holy  spirit  to  them  that  ask  him.’  ‘  Work  out  your  own 
salvation  with  fear  and  trembling.’  ‘  Give  all  diligence 
to  make  your  calling  and  election  sure.’  Our  Father  is 
ever  ready  to  help  all  who  help  themselves ;  and  as  he 
has  promised  aid  to  none  others,  those  who  neglect  the 
means  of  grace,  must  not  expect  any  peculiar  assistance. 
—  Is  it  communicated  in  a  discernible  manner?  Can 
we  distinguish  its  operations  from  the  results  of  our  own 
thoughts,  feelings,  affections  and  imaginations  ?  No. 
For  if  we  could,  we  should  realize  as  much  of  a  miracle 
as  any  wrought  by  our  Saviour ;  and  we  all  believe  the 
day  of  miracles  to  be  past.  And  to  prevent  this  perni¬ 
cious  error,  our  divine  Master  has  given  us  a  very  explicit 
caution.  1  The  wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and  thou 
hearest  the  sound  thereof,  but  canst  not  tell  whence  it 
cometh,  and  whither  it  goeth ;  so  is  every  one  that  is 
born  of  the  spirit.’  —  Is  it  communicated  in  a  uniform 
manner  ?  Does  it  assist  all  persons  in  the  same  way, 
and  at  any  one  particular  period?  No.  For  then  we 
could  determine  the  mode  and  time  of  operation.  But 
experience  furnishes  no  such  result.  And  an  inspired 
apostle  assures  us,  that  there  4  are  diversities  of  opera¬ 
tions,  but  it  is  the  same  God  which  worketh  all  in  all.’ 
If  the  help  of  the  spirit  is  communicated  in  none  of 
these  ways,  how  is  it  imparted  ?  Neither  revelation  nor 
experience  furnishes  an  answer  to  this  question.  We 
must  therefore  rest  satisfied  with  knowing  that  w-e  are 
assisted  by  the  holy  spirit  in  our  exertions  for  salvation  ; 
and  assisted  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  affect  our  free  agency. 
We  have  a  parallel  case  in  the  productions  of  nature, 

4  So  is  the  kingdom  of  God,  as  if  a  man  should  c£st  seed 
into  the  ground  ;  and  should  sleep  and  rise,  night  and 


22 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


190 


day,  and  the  seed  should  spring  and  grow  up,  he  knoweth 
not  how.  For  the  ear  bringeth  forth  fruit  of  herself ; 
first  the  blade,  then  the  ear,  after  that  the  full  corn  in  the 
ear.5  If  you  see  the  ripened  grain,  you  know  that  God 
has  blessed  the  labors  of  the  husbandman,  although  you 
cannot  tell  the  time  when,  nor  the  manner  how.  So  in 
religion.  If  you  behold  a  person  exhibiting  love,  joy, 
peace,  long  suffering,  gentleness,  goodness*  faith,  meek¬ 
ness,  temperance,  you  know  that  his  infirmities  have 
received  help  from  the  holy  spirit.  And  just  so  far  as  this 
influence  produces  these  Christian  fruits,  just  so  far  it 
is  instrumental  in  our  salvation,  and  no  farther. 

4.  Our  heavenly  Father  saves  us  through  the  instru¬ 
mentality  of  the  Christian  ministry.  Paul  informs  us  that 
Christ  Jesus  ‘  gave  some,  apostles;  and  some,  prophets; 
and  some,  evangelists ;  and  some,  pastors  and  teachers ; 
for  the  perfecting  of  the  saints,  for  the  work  of  the  min¬ 
istry,  for  the  edifying  of  the  body  of  Christ.’  He  was 
himself  an  apostle  of  this  number  ;  and  he  acquaints  us 
with  some  of  the  measures  of  his  ministry.  ‘To  the 
weak  became  I  as  weak,  that  I  might  gain  the  weak  ;  I 
am  made  all  things  to  all  men,  that  I  might  by  all  means 
save  some.’  He  also  gives  an  exhortation  to  Timothy 
on  this  subject.  ‘  Take  heed  unto  thyself,  and  unto  the 
doctrine ;  continue  in  them  ;  for  in  doing  this  thou  shalt 
both  save  thyself,  and  them  that  hear  thee.’  He  likewise 
declared  that  it  6  pleased  God  by  the  foolishness  of  preach¬ 
ing  to  save  them  that  believe.5  These  texts  plainly  prove 
that  the  Christian  ministry  is  an  appointed  means  of  spi¬ 
ritual  salvation  ;  and  that  faithful  ministers  are  instru¬ 
ments  in  the  hand  of  God  for  the  conversion  of  sinners. 

But  how  does  the  minister  of  Christ  effect  our  salva- 


191 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


23 


tion  ?  By  inducing  us  to  forsake  and  avoid  sin  ;  to  acquire 
and  maintain  holiness.  And  by  what  means  does  he 
accomplish  these  objects  ?  Ask  those  pious  believers  who 
readily  ascribe  their  salvation  to  the  instrumentality  of 
their  pastors.  They  will  frankly  confess,  that  their 
attention  was  first  awakened  to  the  claims  of  religion,  by 
some  rational,  affecting,  or  persuasive  discourse.  Or  they 
will  freely  admit,  that  they  were  first  excited  to  duty, 
by  the  conversation  of  their  religious  teacher,  either  in 
public  or  private,  either  at  the  bed  of  sickness,  in  the 
hour  of  death,  or  at  the  house  of  affliction.  There  are 
others  indeed  in  almost  every  society,  who  will  not  ac¬ 
knowledge  that  they  have  received  any  perceptible  bene¬ 
fit  from  the  Christian  ministry.  But  is  there  not  reason 
to  believe,  that  they  have  been  imperceptibly  deterred 
from  many  vain  thoughts  and  sinful  desires,  from  many 
unkind  remarks  and  cruel  accusations,  from  many  vicious 
practices  and  wicked  habits,  by  hearing  the  weekly  sound 
of  the  everlasting  gospel  1  Is  there  not  reason  to  believe, 
that  they  have  also  been  excited,  in  the  same  way,  to 
cherish  good  feelings,  to  cultivate  amiable  dispositions, 
to  exhibit  benevolent  sympathies,  and  to  perform  right¬ 
eous  actions  ?  You  can  judge  fairly  of  the  saving  effects 
of  preaching,  only  by  comparing  the  intellectual  and 
moral  state  of  a  whole  congregation,  where  no  Christian 
instructions  have  lately  been  dispensed,  with  one  which 
has  long  enjoyed  the  blessings  of  religious  institutions. 
Whenever  this  is  done  candidly,  you  will  be  convinced, 
that  the  constant  warnings  against  wickedness,  the  con- 
tinual  recommendations  of  righteousness,  the  unceasing 
proclamation  of  the  love  of  God  and  the  claims  of  Christ, 


24 


f 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


192 


and  the  ever  ascending  spiritual  devotion,  have  a  direct 
and  powerful  tendency  to  elevate  the  tone  of  moral  feel¬ 
ing  and  character.  And  the  principal  reason  that  more 
apparent  good  is  not  effected,  must  be  found  in  the  hear¬ 
ers.  The  apostle  fully  confirms  the  truth  of  this  assertion. 
‘  For  unto  us  was  the  gospel  preached  as  well  as  unto 
them  ;  but  the  word  preached  did  not  profit  them,  not 
being  mixed  with  faith  in  them  that  heard  it.’  This  must 
ever  be  the  case  so  long  as  men  are  free  agents.  Their 
improvement  from  preaching  must  depend  on  their  own 
exertions,  in  connection  with  the  promised  blessing.  Yes; 
you  may  attend  church  on  every  returning  sabbath  ;  you 
may  have  the  most  eloquent  preacher  in  Christendom ;  you 
may  hear  the  whole  counsel  of  God  declared  from  week 
to  week  and  from  year  to  year  ;  and  unless  you  listen  to 
the  truths  of  religion,  and  bring  them  home  to  your  minds 
and  consciences,  and  strive  to  reduce  them  to  practice, 
you  can  reap  but  little  benefit  from  the  Christian  ministry  ; 
for  this  instrument  will  save  you  just  so  far  as  it  makes 
you  good,  and  no  farther. 

5.  Our  heavenly  Father  saves  us  through  the  instru¬ 
mentality  of  the  events  of  his  providence.  These  are  of 
two  kinds,  joyous  and  grievous.  Both  are  wisely  designed 
to  lead  his  intelligent  children  to  consideration  and  obe¬ 
dience.  This  is  clearly  taught  in  various  passages  of 
scripture.  Listen  to  the  words  of  Paul.  ‘  Despisest  thou 
the  riches  of  his  goodness,  and  forbearance,  and  long- 
suffering  ;  not  knowing  that  the  goodness  of  God  leadeth 
thee  to  repentance  1  ’  Hear  also  the  declaration  of  the 
Almighty.  ‘  In  their  affliction  they  will  seek  me  early  !  * 
In  accordance  with  this  is  the  testimony  of  David.  ‘Be- 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION, 


25 


im 

fore  I  was  afflicted  I  went  astray ;  but  now  have  I  kept 
thy  word/  And  the  consolation  of  the  Hebrew  converts 
is  equally  to  the  point.  ‘  Now  no  chastening  for  the 
present  seemeth  to  be  joyous,  but  grievous  ;  nevertheless, 
afterward  it  yieldeth  the  peaceable  fruits  of  righteousness 
unto  them  which  are  exercised  thereby.’  These  texts 
fully  prove  that  the  prosperous  and  afflictive  events  of 
providence  are  an  instrument  of  Christian  salvation. 

But  how  do  the  events  of  providence  effect  our  salva¬ 
tion  ?  By  leading  us  to  self-examination,  and  self-im¬ 
provement.  Prosperity  is  admirably  adapted  to  excite 
our  gratitude  to  our  heavenly  Benefactor,  and  encourage 
unreserved  obedience  to  his  holy  laws.  No  doubt  many 
may  be  found  in  every  religious  denomination,  on  whom 
the  goodness  of  God  has  exerted  its  saving  influence.  But 
I  fear  the  pleasing  events  of  life  have  corrupted  a  still 
larger  number,  and  rendered  them  more  thoughtless  and 
worldly  minded,  more  covetous  and  depraved.  On  the 
other  hand,  adversity  has  produced  an  abundant  harvest 
of  holiness.  The  afflictive  events  of  providence  have 
probably  awakened  the  attention  of  more  persons  to  the 
concerns  of  religion,  than  any  other  cause  whatever.  You 
find  some  in  almost  every  church  who  were  first  moved 
to  commence  the  work  of  salvation,  by  some  disappoint¬ 
ment,  desertion  or  suffering  ;  by  the  loss  either  of  health, 
or  friends,  or  property.  But  affliction  has  not  uniformly 
produced  holy  fruits.  Many  have  been  hardened  by  their 
trials,  and  made  more  depraved  and  wretched.  This  must 
continue  to  be  the  case  so  long  as  we  remain  free  agents. 
Our  Father  designs  our  best  good  in  all  the  events  of  his 
providence.  We  have  power,  either  to  improve  them  to 
our  salvation,  or  to  misimprove  them  to  our  condemna- 

VOL.  III.  - NO.  XXXIII.  3 


26 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


194 


tion.  Our  interest,  our  duty,  and  our  happiness  coin¬ 
cide.  Let  no  one  then  be  so  simple  as  to  think  he  shall 
be  always  sure  of  happiness,  without  personal  holiness, 
because  he  now  receives  a  large  share  of  temporal  bless¬ 
ings.  For  unless  he  faithfully  improves  all  his  talents, 
they  will  hereafter  swell  the  fountain  of  his  misery. 
Neither  let  any  one  believe  that  he  is  sure  of  future  feli- 
citv,  simply  because  he  is  afflicted  while  on  earth.  No. 
You  may  see  every  hope  of  your  soul  blasted  ;  you  may 
be  deserted  by  every  mortal  friend  ;  you  may  be  torment¬ 
ed  with  every  bodily  disease  ;  you  may  be  stripped  of 
every  earthly  comfort ;  and  if  your  trials  render  you  more 
peevish,  repining  and  rebellious,  they  will  assuredly  in 
crease  your  guilt,  your  wretchedness  and  your  condem¬ 
nation.  Unless  they  serve  to  wean  your  affections  from 
earthly  vanities  ;  unless  they  raise  your  thoughts  to  the 
unseen  realities  of  eternity  ;  unless  they  lead  you  to  self- 
scrutiny,  self-discipline  and  self-cultivation,  they  cannot 
promote  your  Christian  salvation.  For  this  instrument 
will  save  you  just  so  far  as  it  makes  you  holy,  and  no 
farther. 

6.  Our  heavenly  Father  saves  us  through  the  influence 
of  faith.  A  belief  in  the  Messiahship  of  Jesus  leads  to 
Christian  salvation.  You  find  this  truth  plainly  taught  on 
almost  every  page  of  the  gospel.  What  was  the  answer 
of  Peter  to  the  question  of  the  jailer  ?  ‘  Believe  on  the 

Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved,  and  thy 
house.’  How  did  our  Saviour  close  his  commission  to 
his  apostles  1  ‘  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized,  shall 

be  saved  ;  but  he  that  believeth  not,  shall  be  damned.’ 
Listen  also  to  the  declaration  of  Paul.  4  If  thou  shalt 
confess  with  thy  mouth  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  shalt  believe 


195 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


27 


in  thy  heart  that  God  hath  raised  him  from  the  dead,  thou 
shalt  be  saved.’  A  multitude  of  similar  passages  might 
be  quoted  ;  but  these  satisfactorily  prove,  that  faith  in 
Jesus  is  a  principle  of  Christian  salvation. 

But  how  does  faith  effect  our  salvation  ?  By  influenc¬ 
ing  our  thoughts,  motives  and  conduct  in  the  ways  of 
truth,  virtue  and  piety.  It  operates  in  the  same  manner 
as  our  belief  in  many  other  facts.  Much  of  our  daily 
conduct  is  the  result  of  faith,  and  not  of  certain  know¬ 
ledge.  Take  an  example.  You  may  find  a  man  of 
learning,  who  was  comparatively  ignorant  when  lie  arrived 
at  years  of  maturity.  His  advantages  of  instruction  had 
been  few  and  defective.  But  he  believed  that  important 
and  valuable  literary  acquisitions  might  be  made  by  at¬ 
tention  to  study.  He  accordingly  procured  the  necessary 
books,  employed  the  requisite  instructors,  and  devoted  to 
the  pursuit  of  knowledge  a  sufficient  portion  of  time  and 
thought.  And  what  is  the  result  ?  A  good  education. 
This  is  therefore  the  effect  of  his  belief;  for  it  was  his 
faith  which  first  excited  him  to  commence  a  literary 
course,  and  stimulated  him  to  persevere  to  the  accom¬ 
plishment  of  his  wishes.  Now  faith  in  the  anointed 
Jesus  operates  in  precisely  the  same  manner.  A  person 
becomes  rationally  convinced  that  he  is  the  divinely  com¬ 
missioned  Saviour  of  sinners.  He  therefore  receives  all 
his  instructions  as  eternal  truth.  These  assure  him  that 
salvation  can  be  obtained  only  by  obedience  to  the  divine 
•  commands.  He  accordingly  makes  the  necessary  exer¬ 
tion  for  the  acquisition  of  a  Christian  character.  This  is 
the  natural  result  of  his  belief.  His  faith  in  Jesus  there¬ 
fore  influences  him  to  obedience,  and  secures  his  deliv¬ 
erance  from  iniquity,  and  his  possession  of  holiness.  And 


2S 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


196 


in  this  process,  there  is  nothing  more  mysterious  than  in 
the  faith  of  the  student. 

But  are  there  not  two  kinds  of  faith  ?  Certainly  ;  the 
one  speculative,,  and  the  other  practical ;  the  one  living, 
and  the  other  dead  ;  the  one  of  the  head,  and  the  other  of 
the  heart ;  for  ‘  with  the  heart  man  believeth  unto  right¬ 
eousness.’  And  you  may  frequently  see  both  kinds  ex¬ 
emplified  in  the  concerns  of  this  world.  Take  an  exam¬ 
ple.  You  behold  two  persons  strongly  tempted  to  engage 
in  gambling.  You  assure  them,  that  if  they  follow  this 
pernicious  practice,,  they  will  sooner  or  later  lose  their 
property,  ruin  their  character  and  disgrace  their  friends. 
You  adduce  sufficient  evidence  to  convince  them  of  the 
truth  of  your  assertions.  Now  the  faith  of  one  is  practi¬ 
cal,  and  influences  him  to  resist  the  temptation,  and  thus 
saves  him  from  severe  punishment.  The  faith  of  the 
other  is  speculative,  and  while  he  professes  to  believe  in 
the  ruinous  consequences  of  the  forbidden  vice,  permits 
him  to  engage  and  continue  in  its  fascinations  and  fatal 
allurements.  So  in  religion.  The  great  majority  in 
civilized  lands  profess  to  believe  in  the  Christian  religion. 
A  part  only  are  influenced  by  their  faith  to  conform  to  its 
requisitions.  The  remainder  act  in  direct  opposition  to 
their  profession,  because  their  belief  is  merely  speculative. 
So  far,  therefore,  as  a  person’s  faith  induces  him  to  obey 
the  Christian  commands,  so  far  it  is  instrumental  in  his 
salvation,  and  no  farther.  And  a  belief  in  any  particular 
doctrine  or  set  of  opinions  is  of  no  further  value  to  any 
person,  than  it  contributes  to  his  goodness  or  happiness. 
For  no  one  will  ever  be  judged  by  the  articles  of  his 
creed,  but  by  the  fruits  of  his  faith,  ‘  the  deeds  done  in  the 
body.’  Consequently  no  faith  is  effectual  to  salvation, 


197 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


£9 


except  that  ‘  which  works  by  love,  purifies  the  heart,  and 
overcomes  the  world.’ 

7.  Our  heavenly  Father  saves  us  through  the  influence 
of  hope.  This  is  expressly  asserted  by  an  inspired  apos¬ 
tle.  4  We  are  saved  by  hope.’  He  here  refers  to  the 
hope  of  present  and  future  happiness,  which  is  the  natural 
and  certain  consequence  of  personal  holiness.  For  in 
another  place,  he  makes  this  declaration  ;  4  Godliness  is 
profitable  unto  all  things,  having  promise  of  the  life  that 
now  is,  and  of  that  which  is  to  come.’  And  Peter  gives 
thanks  for  the  heavenly  inheritance  reserved  for  the 
righteous.  4  Blessed  be  the  God  and  Father  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  which,  according  to  his  abundant  mercy, 
hath  begotten  us  again  unto  a  lively  hope, — to  an  inherit¬ 
ance,  incorruptible,  undefiled,  and  that  fadeth  not  away, 
reserved  in  heaven  for  you.’  More  passages  of  a  similar 
nature  might  be  easily  quoted  ;  but  these  clearly  prove 
that  the  hope  of  present  and  future  reward  is  a  principle 
of  Christian  salvation. 

But  how  does  hope  effect  our  salvation  ?  By  influenc¬ 
ing  us  to  become  the  obedient  followers  of  Jesus.  For 
John  informs  us,  4  that  every  man  that  hath  this  hope  in 
him,  purifieth  himself  even  as  Christ  is  pure.’  Many  of 
our  temporal  affairs  are  regulated  by  this  very  principle. 
Take  an  example.  Why  does  the  husbandman  prepare 
the  soil,  sow  the  seed,  and  cultivate  the  growing  plant  ? 
Does  he  surely  know  that  success  will  crown  his  exer¬ 
tions  ?  No.  The  mere  hope  of  a  harvest  is  the  moving 
cause  of  his  labors.  Fo  in  religion.  A  person  really  de¬ 
sires  to  obtain  present  and  future  happiness ;  he  is  con¬ 
vinced,  from  reason,  and  observation,  and  scripture,  that 
nothing  but  Christian  obedience  can  secure  these  bless- 

VOL.  III.  —  NO.  XXXIII.  3* 


30 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


108 


ings.  His  hope  therefore  influences  his  conduct,  and 
causes  him  to  comply  with  the  prescribed  conditions  of 
salvation.  So  far  then  as  his  moral  goodness  is  the  result 
of  his  Christian  hope,  so  far  is  this  principle  instrumental 
in  his  salvation,  and  no  farther.  And  there  is  nothing 
more  incomprehensible  in  its  operation,  than  in  the  hope 
of  the  husbandman. 

But  are  there  not  two  kinds  of  hope  1  Certainly ;  the 
one  living,  and  influencing  the  conduct ;  and  the  other 
dead,  and  exerting  no  salutary  influence.  An  illustration 
of  both  kinds  may  be  readily  furnished  from  real  lift;. 
Two  persons  are  equally  desirous  of  obtaining  a  fortune. 
The  hope  of  one  is  a  living  principle,  and  influences  him 
to  rise  early,  and  retire  late,  and  ‘  eat  the  bread  of  care¬ 
fulness  and  thus  enables  him  to  secure  the  object  of  his 
wishes.  The  hope  of  the  other  is  inoperative,  and  per' 
mits  him  to  remain  inactive,  unenterprising,  and  perhapis 
imprudent;  and  thus  naturally  disappoints  his  desires - 
So  in  spiritual  concerns.  All  persons  wish  for  present 
and  future  happiness.  A  part  only  are  influenced  by 
their  hope  to  make  the  necessary  exertions  for  the  acqui¬ 
sition  of  Christian  virtue.  The  remainder  continue  more 
or  less  negligent  and  disobedient ;  and  consequently  se- 
cure  but  a  small  portion  even  of  earthly  enjoyment,  and 
leave  the  world  with  a  very  imperfect  preparation  for 
heavenly  felicity.  Now  for  a  person  to  hope  for  salvation, 
while  neglecting  the  Christian  duties,  is  more  absurd,  than 
for  a  pauper  to  expect  riches,  while  confined  to  the  alms¬ 
house.  And  for  him  to  expect  present  and  future  happi¬ 
ness,  while  walking  in  the  paths  of  open  wickedness,  is 
infinitely  more  absurd,  than  for  the  person  who  cannot 


199 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION* 


31 


swim,  to  hope  for  salvation  from  drowning,  while  he  con¬ 
tinues  plunging  further  and  deeper  into  the  bosom  of  the 
ocean.  Just  so  far,  therefore,  as  our  hope  of  happiness 
influences  us  to  become  good,  just  so  far  is  this  principle 
instrumental  in  our  salvation,  and  no  farther.  And  this 
living  hope  is  the  only  one  which  will  not  make  us 
ashamed. 

8.  Our  heavenly  Father  saves  us  through  the  influence 
of  fear.  This  is  taught  by  the  precepts  and  example  of 
our  Saviour  and  his  apostles,  Jude  requires  different 
classes  of  sinners  to  be  treated  in  various  methods  ;  and 
then  adds  this  injunction  ;  4  Others  save  with  fear.’  A 
fear  of  the  natural  and  certain  consequences  of  sin  deters 
from  its  commission.  The  inspired  preachers  frequently 
appealed  to  this  principle.  Listen  to  the  w  ords  of  Jesus. 
*  Except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  all  likewise  perish.’  ‘  Fear 
not  them  which  kill  the  body,  but  are  not  able  to  kill  the 
soul ;  but  rather  fear  Him  wdiich  is  able  to  destroy  both 
soul  and  body  in  hell.’  Take  also  an  example  from  Paul. 
4  And  as  he  reasoned  of  righteousness,  temperance,  and 
a  judgment  to  come,  Felix  trembled.’  4  God  will  render 
unto  every  man  according  to  his  deeds ;  to  them  that  are 
contentious,  and  do  not  obey  the  truth,  but  obey  unright¬ 
eousness,  indignation  and  wrath,  tribulation  and  anguish 
upon  every  soul  of  man  that  doeth  evil.’  These  passages 
are  sufficient  to  prove  that  our  Saviour  and  his  apostles 
appealed  to  the  fears  of  their  hearers ;  and  that  fear  is  a 
principle  of  Christian  salvation. 

But  how  does  fear  effect  our  Christian  salvation  ?  By 
deterring  us  from  wickedness.  We  are  daily  influenced 
by  this  principle  in  the  regulation  of  our  own  conduct, 


32 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


200 


and  in  our  government  of  those  under  our  protection. 
Take  a  family  of  children.  Some  of  them  may  be  per¬ 
suaded  to  filial  obedience,  by  kind  and  generous  motives  ; 
while  others  can  be  moved  to  duty  only  by  the  fear  of 
punishment.  So  in  the  Christian  world.  Present  reli¬ 
gion  to  the  attention  of  men,  and  some  are  induced  by 
the  purest  principles  of  action  to  commence  and  continue 
the  work  of  reformation  and  improvement ;  while  others 
seem  hardened  against  every  tender  and  affecting  con¬ 
sideration.  You  may  persuade  and  entreat  them  to  em¬ 
brace  the  gospel  by  the  friendship  and  sufferings  and 
death  of  a  crucified  Saviour  ;  by  the  mercy  and  love  and 
blessings  of  a  heavenly  Father  ;  by  all  that  is  dear  and 
desirable  on  earth  and  in  heaven  ;  and  you  produce  little 
or  no  effect.  You  must  depict  the  bitter  fruits  of  sin,  and 
describe  the  torments  of  the  damned,  and  arouse  their 
fears  of  hell,  before  you  can  start  the  tears  of  penitence. 
Inquire  into  the  experience  of  many  good  "Christians,  in 
almost  every  denomination,  and  you  will  learn  that  the 
fear  of  misery  first  induced  them  to  begin  the  work  of 
salvation.  Had  not  the  terrors  of  the  Lord  been  pro¬ 
claimed,  they  might  have  continued  impenitent  even  to 
the  present  hour,  and  perhaps  become  hardened  profli¬ 
gates.  But  commencing  the  work  of  religion  in  fear,  the 
very  lowest  principle  of  human  nature,  they  gradually 
learned  to  love  Cod  for  his  goodness,  and  to  serve  him  for 
the  rewards  of  holiness.  So  far,  therefore,  as  the  fear  of 
punishment  influences  us  to  forsake  and  avoid  sin,  so  far 
it  is  instrumental  in  our  salvation,  and  no  farther. 

But  does  not  fear  operate  in  different  ways  ?  Certainly. 
You  may  see  this  illustrated  in  temporal  concerns.  Be- 


201 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


33 


hold  a  vessel  in  a  dangerous  storm.  The  fear  of  ship¬ 
wreck  nerves  one  mariner  with  double  courage  and 
strength  ;  and  enables  him  to  make  wonderful  exertions 
for  self-preservation.  A  second  is  wholly  unmanned,  be¬ 
comes  faint  and  sick,  and  is  perhaps  left  a  prey  to  des¬ 
pair.  So  in  the  concerns  of  the  soul.  The  fear  of 
punishment  influences  one  to  persevere  in  a  sober, 
righteous  and  godly  life.  A  second  is  wholly  unnerved, 
driven  to  despair,  perhaps  deprived  of  the  use  of  his  rea¬ 
soning  powers,  and  even  abandoned  to  self-destruction. 
But  when  this  takes  place,  we  may  be  assured  that  his 
fears  have  not  been  excited  by  the  terrors  of  the  Lord. 
For  Jesus  and  his  apostles  certainly  declared  the  whole 
counsel  of  God  ;  sinners  were  as  depraved  then  as  now  ; 
and  we  have  no  account  of  any  such  occurrence  under 
their  preaching.  We  cannot  do  better  than  imitate  their 
example,  and  make  sinners  fear  nothing  so  much  as  the 
natural  and  lasting  consequences  of  their  sins. 

Perhaps  you  will  now  ask,  if  we  are  not  saved  by  our 
good  works  ?  Whatever  may  be  said  as  to  our  being 
saved  by  them,  it  is  certain  that  we  cannot  be  saved  with¬ 
out  them  ;  for  they  are  the  only  scriptural  evidence  of  a 
Christian  character,  as  well  as  the  chief  method  of  form¬ 
ing  it.  This  is  the  reason  that  they  are  so  emphatically 
insisted  upon  by  our  Saviour  and  his  apostles.  Perhaps 
there  is  no  other  subject,  on  which  they  have  said  so 
much  and  so  earnestly  ;  because,  if  not  holiness  itself, 
they  are  the  manifestations  of  holiness,  and  considered  in 
connexion  with  their  motives,  the  elements  of  it.  If  the 
fruit  be  bad,  you  pronounce  the  tree  corrupt.  If  the 
stream  be  bitter,  you  call  the  fountain  impure.  If  the 


34 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION, 


202 


outward  actions  be  vicious,  you  declare  the  heart  de¬ 
praved.  For  the  same  reason,  if  the  conduct  be  virtuous, 
you  consider  the  soul  to  be  holy.  Hence  you  see  the  infi¬ 
nite  importance  of  good  works  ;  for  without  them  there 
can  be  no  evidence  of  Christian  holiness  ;  and  conse¬ 
quently  no  ground  to  hope  for  salvation.  In  this  conclu¬ 
sion,  the  sacied  writers  wonderfully  harmonize.  I  know, 
indeed,  that  some  persons  have  supposed  Paul  and  James 
at  variance  on  this  point.  But  this  is  the  mistake  of  ig¬ 
norance.  Paul  asserts  that  a  Christian  is  saved  without 
works  of  law.  By  works  of  law,  he  means  the  Jewish 
rites  and  ceremonies;  circumcision,  sacrifices,  fasting, 
washing  of  hands,  paying  tithes,  and  the  like.  And 
surely  these  cannot  aid  a  believer  in  Jesus  in  forsaking 
his  iniquities.  He  also  declares  that  a  man  is  justified  by 
faith  alone.  By  faith,  he  intends  that  living,  operative 
principle,  which  is  as  sure  to  yield  good  fruits,  as  the  sun 
is  to  send  forth  light  and  heat.  And  it  is  this  faith  which 
saves  the  believer  ;  but  good  works  are  the  only  evidence 
of  the  existence  of  such  a  principle.  Now  James  was 
probably  writing  to  those  who  had  perverted  the  meaning 
of  Paul  ;  and  he  insists  that  a  man  cannot  be  saved  with¬ 
out  works.  By  works,  he  means  the  fruits  of  love  to  God 
and  man,  holiness  of  heart  and  life  ;  and  he  proves  his 
proposition  so  clearly,  that  no  one  ought  to  mistake  his 
conclusion.  The  real  sentiments,  then,  of  both  apostles, 
are  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  instructions  of  their  di¬ 
vine  Master.  The  substance  of  the  whole  matter,  there¬ 
fore,  is  manifestly  this.  Just  so  far  as  a  person  obeys 
Jesus,  just  so  far  will  he  bring  forth  good  works ;  and 
just  so  far  as  he  exhibits  good  works,  just  so  far  is  he  a 


203 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


35 


practical  Christian  ;  and  just  so  far  as  he  is  a  practical 
Christian,  just  so  far  is  he  saved,  and  no  farther. 

One  most  important  consideration  remains  to  be  men¬ 
tioned.  It  is  this.  We  are  saved  by  the  grace  of  God. 
Yes.  To  the  free  grace  of  our  heavenly  Father  are  we 
indebted  for  all  the  means  of  our  salvation.  And  what  is 
free  grace  ?  Let  me  give  an  imperfect  illustration  by  an 
example.  Suppose  an  earthly  monarch  should  make  a 
feast,  and  cordially  invite  all  his  subjects  to  come  and 
partake  freely.  He  receives  nothing  in  return  for  his  en¬ 
tertainment  ;  and  consequently  it  is  the  gift  of  his  grace 
or  favor.  If  any  of  the  invited  guests  refuse  to  attend, 
the  fault  is  wholly  their  own ;  and  for  their  loss  of  the 
pleasure,  they  can  justly  blame  none  but  themselves.  So 
it  is  with  our  heavenly  Father.  He  wishes  all  his  chil¬ 
dren  to  be  happy.  He  knows  they  can  be  happy  only  by 
being  good.  He  has  accordingly  furnished  all  tl>e  means 
necessary  for  securing  their  goodness.  And  it  is  solely 
of  his  free  grace,  that  he  sent  his  Son  Jesus,  gave  him 
miraculous  powers,  and  qualified  him  to  be  the  spiritual 
Saviour  of  mankind.  It  is  solely  of  his  free  grace,  that 
he  raised  the  crucified  Lord  of  glory  from  the  dead,  exhi¬ 
bited  him  to  competent  witnesses,  qualified  his  apostles  to 
publish  the  history  of  a  divine  revelation,  and  preserved 
the  gospel  unimpaired  to  the  present  times.  It  is  solely 
of  his  free  grace,  that  he  now  invites  us  all  to  come  to  the 
fountain  of  truth  and  be  cleansed  from  our  moral  pollu¬ 
tion,  that  he  offers  the  assistance  of  his  holy  spirit  to  all 
who  seek  for  it  in  sincerity,  and  that  he  aids  us  in  form¬ 
ing  Christian  characters.  For  all  these  unspeakable 
blessings,  we  can  make  him  no  returns;  for  he  is  a  per- 


36 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


204 


feet  being,  and  cannot  be  benefited  by  the  services  of  his 
imperfect  children.  If  we  refuse  to  improve  these  means 
to  our  own  progress  in  holiness,  we  shall  not  be  saved  ; 
but  we  can  blame  no  one  but  ourselves  ;  for  we  are  all  in¬ 
vited  to  approach  the  table  of  spiritual  bread  and  water. 
We  all  have  ability  to  comply  with  the  invitation.  We 
are  all  encouraged  by  the  most  animating  motives.  And 
we  are  assured  there  can  be  no  other  way  of  becoming 
happy,  but  by  using  our  own  powers  in  the  acquisition  of 
holiness.  Although  salvation  is  of  free  grace,  it  can  be 
experienced  only  by  those  who  cultivate  Christian  know¬ 
ledge,  virtue,  and  piety. 

IV.  Thus  have  I  endeavored  to  answer  the  three  im¬ 
portant  questions  —  What  is  Christian  salvation  ?  By  whom 
are  we  saved  ?  And  by  what  means  is  our  salvation  ef¬ 
fected  ?'  'rite  answers  returned  naturally  suggest  several 
important  reflections. 

1.  From  what  has  been  said,  we  learn  the  grand  design 

J  CD  o 

of  our  Saviour’s  mission  and  death.  We  learn  that  he 
labored,  taught,  suffered  and  died,  to  save  us  from  our 
sins,  and  to  assist  us  in  acquiring  a  holy  character,  so  that 
we  might  here  enjoy  the  happiness  for  which  we  were 
created,  and  be  qualified  for  heavenly  felicity  hereafter. 
And  he  would  accomplish  this  plan  of  infinite  mercy,  by 
inducing  us  to  fulfil  the  various  duties  of  our  several  rela- 
tions.  Now  we  are  related  to  our  Creator ;  for  we  are 
dependent  on  his  favor  for  our  existence  and  faculties, 
for  our  preservation  and  support,  for  our  blessings  and 
hopes.  Consequently  we  are  bound,  by  the  very  laws  of 
our  rational  and  moral  nature,  to  submit  to  his  authority 
as  our  Governor,  to  render  him  gratitude  as  our  Benefac- 


205 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


37 


tor,  to  trust  in  him  as  our  unchangeable  Friend,  to  love 
him  as  our  Father,  and  to  worship  him  as  our  God  ;  and 
if  we  fulfil  these  obligations,  our  piety  yields  us  the  purest 
felicity.  But  if  we  banish  our  Maker  from  our  thoughts, 
profane  his  sacred  name  and  institutions,  murmur  at  his 
allotments,  and  violate  his  commands,  our  sinfulness  pro¬ 
duces  aggravated  misery.- — We  are  also  related  to  our 
fellow  men ;  for  they  are  also  children  of  our  common 
parent ;  possessed  of  the  same  powers,  privileges  and 
rights  ;  and  exposed  to  similar  temptations,  trials  and 
afflictions.  Consequently  we  are  bound  to  love  them  as 
ourselves,  to  exert  ourselves  to  promote  their  best  welfare, 
and  ever  to  do  unto  them  in  all  things  as  we  would  have 
them  do  unto  us  ;  and  if  we  fulfil  these  obligations,  our 
benevolence  gives  us  substantial  happiness.  But  if  we 
knowingly  injure  their  property,  influence,  feelings,  repu¬ 
tation  or  character,  our  wickedness  will  be  attended  with 
certain  wretchedness. — We  are  likewise  blessed  with  the 
union  of  animal  and  spiritual  capacities.  Consequently 
we  are  bound  to  restrain  the  propensities,  principles  and 
affections  of  our  constitution  within  the  prescribed  limits 
of  conscience,  reason  and  revelation  ;  and  if  we  fulfil  these 
obligations,  our  self-government  secures  rational  enjoy¬ 
ment.  But  if  we  give  unlawful  indulgence  to  our  appe¬ 
tites,  desires,  passions,  and  imaginations,  our  transgression 
is  followed  by  loss  and  suffering.  Such  then  are  the 
iniquities  from  which  our  Saviour  came  to  redeem  us, 
because  they  naturally  produce  severe  misery  ;  and  such 
are  the  good  works  of  which  he  would  make  us  zealous, 
because  they  insure  pure  and  permanent  happiness.  Con¬ 
sequently  the  grand  design  of  his  mission  and  death  is, 
to  induce  us  to  fulfil  the  various  duties  of  our  several  rela- 

4 


VOL.  HI. - NO.  XXXIII. 


38 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


206 


tions,  so  that  we  may  avoid  the  punishment  of  sin,  and 
obtain  the  rewards  of  holiness,  both  for  time  and  eternity; 
and  thus  glorify  our  Father  in  heaven. 

2.  From  what  has  been  said,  we  also  learn  the  great 
object  of  the  Christian  ministry.  We  learn  that  this  ob¬ 
ject  is,  to  aid  in  fulfilling  our  Saviour's  mission  and  death. 
Consequently  the  minister  of  Christ  will  habitually  endea¬ 
vor  to  persuade  his  hearers  to  forsake  and  avoid  sin,  and 
to  acquire  and  exhibit  holiness.  And  to  effect  this  im¬ 
portant  purpose,  he  will  clearly  explain  to  them  the  nature 
of  sin  ;  and  make  them  feel  that  it  punishes  the  sinner, 
even  in  this  world,  by  subjecting  him,  either  to  loss  of 
health,  property  and  reputation  ;  or  to  the  suspicion  and 
contempt  of  his  fellow  men ;  or  to  the  severe  compunc¬ 
tions  of  an  accusing  conscience,  or  to  the  excruciating 
agonies  of  a  miserable  death.  He  will  also  explain  the 
nature  of  holiness  ;  and  make  them  perceive  that  it  re¬ 
wards  the  obedient  disciple  even  in  this  world,  by  securing 
the  approbation  of  his  own  mind  ;  the  esteem  of  the  wise 
and  virtuous  ;  the  means  of  usefulness  and  respectability, 
and  the  necessary  preparation  for  the  time  of  trouble,  and 
the  season  of  affliction,  and  the  hour  of  dissolution.  He 
will  likewise  lay  before  them  the  claims  of  Jesus;  his 
untiring  services  and  disinterested  sacrifices  ;  his  spotless 
example  and  heavenly  spirit ;  his  divine  instructions  and 
cruel  sufferings  ;  his  ignominious  death  and  triumphant 
resurrection ;  and  he  will  entreat  them,  by  all  that  is 
tender  and  affecting  in  his  whole  history,  to  become  his 
sincere  disciples.  He  will  further  present  to  their  con¬ 
sideration  the  paternal  character  of  their  Father  in  hea¬ 
ven  ;  the  unmerited  blessings  with  which  he  crowns  their 
days  ;  the  surpassing  love  which  prompted  him  to  send  his 


207 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


39 


Son  to  be  their  Saviour  ;  the  manifold  consolations  he 
has  furnished  for  their  sufferings  and  afflictions :  the  un- 
fading  inheritance  which  he  has  provided  for  their  eternal 
residence  ;  and  he  will  beseech  them,  by  all  that  is  inte¬ 
resting  and  moving  in  his  dispensations  and  perfections, 
to  become  ‘  lovers  of  God  as  dear  children.’  And  finally, 
he  will  strive  to  bring  forward  all  the  moral  influences  of 
our  holy  religion.  He  will  not  ‘shun  to  declare  the 
whole  counsel  of  the  Lord.’  Especially,  he  will  not  fai\ 
to  keep  them  in  remembrance  of  the  righteous  retribu¬ 
tions  of  eternity  —  that  great  doctrine  of  Christianity, 
wdiich  its  heavenly  Founder  so  plainly  taught  in  this 
solemn  declaration  ;  ‘  The  hour  is  coming,  in  the  which 
all  that  are  in  the  graves  shall  hear  his  voice,  and  shall 
come  forth  ;  they  that  have  done  good,  unto  the  resurrec¬ 
tion  of  life;  and  they  that  have  done  evil,  unto  the  resur¬ 
rection  of  damnation.’  And  to  their  moral  and  religious 
improvement,  he  will  cheerfully  devote  all  his  time  and 
talents,  all  his  thoughts  and  exertions ;  nay — he  will  not 
*  count  his  life  dear  unto  himself,  so  that  he  may  finish 
his  course  with  joy,  and  fulfil’  the  holy  purposes  of  ‘  the 
ministry  wfflich  he  has  received  from  the  Lord  Jesus.’ 

3.  From  what  has  been  said,  we  likewise  learn  the 
chief  duty  of  hearers.  It  is,  to  aid  the  minister  in  ac¬ 
complishing  the  merciful  design  of  our  Saviour’s  mission 
and  death.  Let  me  then  address  all  such  in  the  wrords 
of  inspiration.  ‘  Work  out  your  salvation  wdth  fear  and 
trembling.’  Your  duty  is  plain.  ‘  Keep  the  command¬ 
ments.’  ‘  Cease  to  do  evil,  and  learn  to  do  well.’  Ever 
avoid  what  you  know  to  be  wrrong.  Always  practise 
what  you  believe  to  be  right.  Regularly  attend  upon  the 
services  of  the  sanctuary.  Prepare  yourselves  to  be  edi~ 


40 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


208 


fied  by  all  its  exercises.  Feelingly  engage  in  the  public 
devotions.  Listen  candidly  to  all  evangelical  instructions. 
Bring  home  to  your  own  consciences  everything  applica¬ 
ble  to  your  wants.  Carry  much  of  the  spirit  of  the  sab¬ 
bath  into  the  week.  Frequently  scrutinize  your  wrhole 
character..  Attentively  compare  the  habitual  state  of  your 
thoughts,  motives,  feelings,  affections,  conversation  and 
conduct  with  the  divine  standard.  Speedily  reform  what¬ 
ever  you  discover  amiss  in  your  hearts  or  lives.  Quickly 
supply  whatever  you  find  defective  in  your  faith  or  prac¬ 
tice.  Confirm  and  strengthen  whatever  you  possess  ac¬ 
cording  to  truth  and  godliness.  And  never  imagine  that 
you  have  arrived  at  perfection  ;  but  forgetting  your  past 
acquirements,  press  forward  most  zealously  to  higher  and 
still  higher  degrees  of  Christian  knowledge  and  holiness. 
And  be  not  discouraged  at  opposing  obstacles.  For  your 
work  is  not  only  so  plain,  that  the  fool  cannot  honestly 
err  therein ;  but  it  is  so  practicable,  that  no  excuse  of 
inability  will  ever  be  admitted  at  the  bar  of  conscience 
or  heaven.  Your  Father  remembers  that  you  are  dust, 
and  he  does  not  require  impossibilities  of  his  frail  chil¬ 
dren.  Bring  to  your  aid,  therefore,  all  the  motives  of  the 
blessed  gospel.  Keep  in  mind  the  glorious  rewards  which 
await  those  who  persevere  unto  the  end,  and  the  awful 
punishments  threatened  upon  the  disobedient.  Place  the 
perfect  example  of  your  divine  Master  ever  before  you. 
Recollect  that  the  same  apostle  who  commands  you  to 
work  out  your  salvation,  also  assures  you,  that  4  God  work- 
eth  in  you,  both  to  will  and  to  do,  of  his  good  pleasure.5 
Remember  that  a  greater  than  Paul  declares  for  your  en¬ 
couragement,  that  4  your  heavenly  Father  is  more  read) 
to  give  you  his  holy  spirit,  than  earthly  parents  are  to 


209 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION, 


41 


give  good  gifts  to  their  children.’  If  then  you  seek  spi¬ 
ritual  influences  in  sincerity  and  truth ;  if  you  labor  in 
the  work  of  moral  improvement  with  untiring  perseve¬ 
rance  ;  if  you  continue  in  the  plain  paths  of  gospel  salva¬ 
tion  ;  you  will  aid  your  minister  in  accomplishing  the 
great  object  of  his  ministry ;  and  your  exertions  will  be 
crowned  with  present  and  everlasting  salvation. 

4.  From  what  has  been  said,  we  further  learn  to  deter¬ 
mine  whether  we  ourselves,  and  those  around  us,  have 
experienced  Christian  salvation.  If  we  adhere  to  the  di¬ 
rection  of  our  Saviour,  we  shall  find  no  difficulty  on  this 
question.  For  if  we  are  sober,  chaste,  meek  and  hum¬ 
ble,  we  are  surely  saved  from  intemperance,  impurity, 
anger  and  pride.  If  we  are  just,  candid,  forgiving  and 
benevolent,  we  are  certainly  saved  from  dishonesty,  bi¬ 
gotry,  revenge  and  covetousness.  If  we  love,  serve  and 
worship  our  heavenly  Father,  we  are  undoubtedly  saved 
from  impiety,  ingratitude  and  disobedience.  If  we  imi¬ 
tate  the  example,  imbibe  the  spirit,  and  obey  the  instruc¬ 
tions  of  Christ  Jesus,  we  are  indeed  saved  from  unbelief, 
hypocrisy  and  condemnation.  But  on  the  other  hand,  if 
we  slight  his  invitations,  disregard  his  precepts,  and  con¬ 
temn  his  authority,  we  manifestly  do  not  possess  Chris¬ 
tian  knowledge,  virtue  and  piety.  And  so  also,  if  we 
wish  to  know  whether  any  particular  neighbor  or  acquaint¬ 
ance  is  a  subject  of  gospel  salvation,  we  need  not  inquire 
into  the  length  or  soundness  of  his  religious  creed  ;  for  if 
his  faith  influences  him  to  forsake  iniquity  and  acquire 
holiness,  it  answers  for  him  all  the  purposes  of  salvation  ; 
but  if  it  does  not  produce  these  results,  be  it  called  hete¬ 
rodox,  or  orthodox,  it  is  no  better  to  him  ‘  than  sounding 
brass  or  a  tinkling  cymbal.’  We  need  not  inquire  to 


42 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


210 


what  denomination  of  believers  he  belongs  ;  for  if  his 
heart  is  pure  and  his  habits  virtuous,  his  salvation  is 
already  accomplished  ;  but  if  this  be  not  the  case,  the 
name  of  his  sect  will  work  no  miracles  for  him  at  death, 
and  he  will  be  accounted  as  nothing  at  the  bar  of  heaven. 
We  need  not  inquire  what  his  religious  experiences  have 
been  ;  for  if  he  exhibit  the  Christian  character,  no  other 
evidence  is  needed ;  but  if  he  cannot  furnish  this  scrip¬ 
tural  proof  of  election,  all  the  experiences  in  creation  are 
of  no  service  whatever.  We  need  not  inquire  if  he  has 
been  born  again ;  for  unless  we  see  the  marks  of  the  new 
birth  in  his  temper  and  conduct,  all  the  professions  in  the 
world  should  give  no  satisfaction  ;  but  with  this  evidence, 
all  other  testimony  is  unnecessary  and  superfluous.  We 
have  an  inspired  rule  by  which  to  measure  his  moral 
condition.  ‘  By  their  fruits  shall  ye  know  them.3  The 
moral  and  religious  character  is  the  only  standard  of  sal¬ 
vation  furnished  by  our  appointed  judge.  And  let  the 
sectarian  creed  of  our  friend  be  what  it  may ;  let  him 
belong  to  what  denomination  he  pleases;  let  him  relate 
what  experiences  he  can ;  let  him  make  what  professions 
he  chooses  ;  all  these  are  nothing  in  the  account.  For 
so  far  as  he  commits  sin,  so  far  will  his  sin  punish  him ; 
and  so  far  as  he  acquires  holiness,  so  far  will  his  holiness 
reward  him.  He  will,  therefore,  enjoy  just  so  much  of 
heaven  as  he  possesses  of  moral  goodness,  and  no  more ; 
and  he  will  suffer  just  so  much  of  hell  as  he  possesses  of 
moral  depravity,  and  no  more.  Consequently,  he  is  saved 
just  so  far  a.s  he  is  holy,  and  no  farther;  and  he  is  damned 
just  so  far  as  he  is  sinful,  and  no  farther.  This  is  true  in 
life  ;  it  is  true  in  death  ;  and  it  must  be  true  in  eternity 


211 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


43 


5 .  From  what  has  been  said,  we  finally  learn  that  in¬ 
nocence  or  reformation  is  the  only  method  of  escaping 
the  punishment  of  sin.  We  may  indeed  commit  sin  with 
the  expectation  of  avoiding  its  consequences.  We  may 
employ  the  darkness  of  night,  and  the  secrecy  of  the 
grave,  to  conceal  our  iniquity.  And  for  a  time  we  may 
elude  the  detection  of  our  fellow  mortals.  But  when  we 
are  least  aware,  some  event  may  occur,  some  circum¬ 
stance  may  arise,  which  shall  reveal  our  infamy  and  our 
disgrace  to  the  world. — We  may  commit  sin  ;  we  may  con¬ 
ceal  it  from  every  human  being  but  ourselves ;  our  labors 
may  be  crowned  with  success  ;  the  voice  of  gladness  may 
be  heard  in  our  dwellings  ;  the  world  may  lay  her  riches 
and  her  honors  at  our  feet.  But  with  all  that  time  has  to 
offer,  we  shall  still  be  miserable.  For  our  wickedness 
will  have  left  a  corroding  disease  on  our  very  soul.  And 
we  shall  carry  a  hell  in  our  own  bosom  which  no  earthly 
offerings  can  ever  quench  or  smother. — We  may  commit 
sin ;  we  may  affirm  that  all  actions  are  alike  ;  we  may 
ridicule  religion,  and  scoff  at  all  sacred  things  ;  we  may 
plunge  into  the  very  vortex  of  dissipation,  and  pass  along 
the  briery  road  of  transgression,  until  arrested  by  the 
summons  of  death.  But  his  cold  hand  will  dissipate  all 
the  mists  of  infidelity  and  depravity.  A  knowledge  of 
our  desperate  wickedness  will  fill  our  souls  with  agony ; 
and  convulsive  cries  for  mercy  will  tremble  on  our 
quivering  lips. — We  may  commit  sin ;  we  may  sear  our 
consciences  so  as  to  pass  even  the  portal  of  the  grave  in 
our  delusion.  But  when  the  light  of  eternity  bursts  upon 
our  guilty  souls,  we  shall  come  to  a  knowledge  of  our¬ 
selves  ;  our  wilful  disobedience,  our  sinful  pollution,  our 


44 


CHRISTIAN  SALVATION. 


212 


wretched  condition.  And  a  sense,  a  realizing  sense,  of 
our  lost  and  ruined  state,  must  fill  our  souls  with  *  indigna¬ 
tion  and  wrath,  tribulation  and  anguish.’  How  can  we 
then  escape  the  natural  consequences  of  our  profligate 
course  1  Can  we  then  flee  from  our  own  thoughts  ?  Can 
we  then  desert  our  own  reflections  ?  Can  we  then  escape 
from  our  own  souls  1  Can  we  then  hide  from  the  inspec¬ 
tion  of  an  omniscient  and  omnipresent  God  ?  Oh  no. 
There  is  no  escape  from  misery  but  in  innocence  or  re¬ 
formation.  It  is  not  in  the  power  of  Jesus  to  deliver  us 
from  the  punishment  of  sin  in  any  other  way.  He  came 
not  to  make  us  happy  in  our  iniquities.  This  he  could  not 
do.  This  God  himself  will  not  do.  He  must  first  aid  us 
in  becoming  good,  before  we  can  possibly  be  happy.  Sin 
and  unhappiness  are  eternally  inseparable.  As  well  may 
we  expect  to  unite  heaven  and  hell,  as  hope  to  make  a 
depraved  soul  happy  in  any  way  but  by  reformation.  Let 
me  therefore  beseech  all  who  are  guilty, —  and  who  is 
not  1  let  me  entreat  you,  as  you  value  your  present  and 
eternal  salvation,  to  forsake  and  avoid  sin,  to  acquire  and 
exhibit  holiness.  For  ‘  without  holiness  no  man  shall  see 
the  Lord.’ 


1st  Series. 


No.  35. 


THE 


GENIUS 


CHRISTIANITY. 


BY  WILLIAM  H.  PDRXES8. 


PRINTED  FOR  THE 

Mmtizwi  fruitarian  Association 


BOSTON, 

GRAY  AND  BOWEN,  135  WASHINGTON  STREET. 

1830. 

:  % - 


Price  4  Cents . 


THE 


GENIUS  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


When  Christianity  was  first  preached,  it  produced  a 
very  great  sensation.  Whole  cities  were  thrown  into  an 
uproar  at  its  appearance,  and  it  was  said  of  its  first  preach¬ 
ers  that  they  were  turning  the  world  upside  down.  Chris¬ 
tianity  was  not  therefore  at  the  first,  quietly  established, 
but  it  was  introduced  into  the  minds  of  its  first  converts 
amidst  great  public  commotions.  The  feelings  of  the  first 
Christians  must  have  partaken  fully  of  that  excited  tone 
imparted  to  every  community  in  which  the  voice  of  our 
Religion  was  first  heard. 

That  the  least  heed  should  be  given,  under  these  cir¬ 
cumstances,  to  the  humble  affairs  of  daily  duty,  to  the 
common  and  natural  obligations  of  life  is  the  last  thing  to 
have  been  expected.  We  should  certainly  never  think 
to  have  found  such  an  one  as  the  Apostle  Paul  with  his 
way  of  life  and  his  habits  of  mind,  paying  any  sort  of  at¬ 
tention  to  the  ordinary  offices  of  life.  But  we  have  only 
to  look  into  his  epistles,  those  writings  from  which  we  ob¬ 
tain  the  best  idea  of  the  feelings  and  opinions  of  the 
Christians  of  that  period,  and  we  shall  find  that  never  for 
a  single  instant  did  Christianity  permit  her  converts  to 
lose  sight  of  the  common  relations  of  nature  and  society. 
Take,  for  instance,  the  two  epistles  to  the  Thessalonians, 


4 


THE  GENIUS  OF  CHRISTIANITY 


244 


At  Thessaionica,  Paul  had  preached  Christianity  at  the 
imminent  hazard  of  his  life,  and  was  near  being  torn  in 
pieces  by  a  mob.  Upon  his  escape  from  that  city,  so 
soon  as  he  found  opportunity,  he  wrote  to  the  small 
company  of  disciples  he  had  collected  there.  And  what 
is  the  style  of  this  incorrigible  disturber  of  the  public 
peace?  He  beseeches  his  brethren  to  continue  studiously 
in  the  quiet  performance  of  their  usual  duties,  giving 
us  to  understand  that  this  had  been  the  tenor  of  his  in¬ 
structions  from  the  first.  Listen  to  his  own  words.  “  We 
beseech  you  that  ye  study  to  be  quiet  and  to  do  your  own 
business  and  to  work  with  your  own  hands,  as  we  com¬ 
manded  you,  that  ye  may  walk  honestly  toward  them  that 
are  without.”  Again  in  the  second  of  Ephesians.  “Now 
we  command  you,  brethren,  in  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  that  ye  withdraw  yourselves  from  every  brother 
that  walketh  disorderly,  and  not  after  the  tradition 
which  he  received  of  us.  For  yourselves  know  how  ye 
ought  to  follow  us,  for  we  behaved  not  ourselves  dis¬ 
orderly  among  you,  neither  did  we  eat  any  man's  bread 
for  naught ;  but  wrought  with  labor  and  travail  that  we 
might  not  be  chargeable  to  any  of  you,  not  because  we 
have  not  power  but  to  make  ourselves  an  example  unto 
you  to  follow  us.  For  even  when  we  were  with  you, 
this  we  commanded  you,  that  if  any  would  not  work, 
neither  should  he  eat.  For  we  hear  that  there  are  some 
who  walk  among  you  disorderly,  working  not  at  all,  but 
are  busy-bodies.  Now  them  that  are  such  we  command 
and  exhort  by  our  Lord  Jesus,  that  with  quietness  they 
work  and  eat  their  own  bread.” 

In  this  earnest  and  explicit  manner,  the  Apostle 
sought  to  impress  upon  his  brethren  the  importance  of 


245 


THE  GENIUS  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


5 


quietness,  regularity  and  good  order.  Consider  what 
the  character  of  St  Paul  was.  He  was  a  man  of  ar¬ 
dent  temperament — of  great  sensibility,  and  the  circum¬ 
stances  into  which  he  had  been  all  along  thrown,  were 
such  as  to  encourage  and  confirm  the  peculiarities  of 
his  original  constitution.  With  a  warm  and  zealous 
mind,  his  life  had  been  one  uninterrupted  scene  of  ex¬ 
citement.  His  feelings  had  been  early  aroused  by  the 
rise  of  a  sect  who  appeared  to  him  to  throw  contempt 
upon  his  most  sacred  convictions — upon  the  religion  of 
his  country  and  his  ancestors.  And  when  we  recollect 
the  extraordinary  means  employed  by  Heaven  to  bring 
him  to  be  the  most  devoted  defender  of  the  persecuted 
faith  of  Christ,  we  can  hardly  conceive  how  the  balance 
of  his  mind,  with  all  its  awakened  sensibilities,  was  pre¬ 
served.  Follow  him  in  his  course  as  an  apostle  of 
Christianity.  He  journeyed  from  city  to  city,  over  land 
and  over  sea,  filled  with  the  idea  of  a  great  change  to  be 
wrought  in  the  world.  His  mind  must  have  been  thronged 
day  and  night  with  the  most  exciting  images.  And 
wherever  he  appeared,  wherever  his  voice  was  heard,  an 
extraordinary  sensation  was  produced.  Infuriated  mobs 
were  collected.  He  was  rescued  by  military  force,  car¬ 
ried  before  magistrates,  thrown  into  prison,  beaten,  stoned, 
left  for  dead,  driven  from  place  to  place,  and  confronted 
with  kings.  Habituated  to  such  scenes,  could  his  mind 
descend  with  any  sort  of  interest  to  the  common  realities, 
and  familiar  details  of  daily  duty  ?  In  fine,  is  it  not  worthy 
of  remark,  does  it  not  give  us  a  noble  idea  of  Christian¬ 
ity,  to  find  her  at  the  stormiest  periods,  inculcating  in  a 
clear  and  calm  voice  the  homely  duties  of  common  life, 
directing  men  to  be  quiet,  orderly,  to  pursue  their  usual 
vol.  hi, — no.  xxxv.  1* 


6 


THE  GENIUS  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


246 


occupations  peaceably?  While  she  was  aiming  at  a  great 
moral  revolution,  the  greatest  that  can  be  imagined,  and 
when  the  human  mind  must  have  boiled  and  foamed 
around  her,  like  a  vexed  sea,  she  partook  not  of  the  gene¬ 
ral  excitement,  but  showed  her  superiority  to  it,  and  did 
not  permit  the  attention  of  men  to  be  carried  away,  as  it 
was  naturally  and  strongly  inclined  to  be,  from  the  pre¬ 
sent  and  usual  sphere  of  human  duty.  She  did  not  allow 
the  eternal  lines  which  mark  the  natural  obligations  of 
man,  to  be  hidden  by  the  flood  of  feeling  that  she  had 
called  forth. 

It  is  indeed  a  very  singular,  a  most  admirable  trait  in 
our  holy  religion,  that  while  it  proposes  the  greatest  ob¬ 
jects,  deals  in  the  sublimest  truths,  unfolds  the  largest 
views  of  the  moral  government  of  the  world,  and  of  the 
obligations  and  destiny  of  man,  it  takes  proper  and  faith¬ 
ful  cognizance  of  the  every  day  matters  of  human  life.  It 
invests  man  with  new  and  lofty  relations,  throws  around 
him  an  unearthly  light,  teaches  him  to  consider  himself 
as  a  celestial  intelligence,  the  offspring  of  an  Infinite  Be¬ 
ing — eternity  his  duration,  the  universe  his  home.  At 
the  same  time  it  does  not  allow  him  to  forget — it  reminds 
him  in  a  tone  clear  and  forcible,  that  he  is  a  member  of 
the  human  family,  bound  by  the  common  obligations,  en¬ 
gaged  in  the  daily  labors,  perhaps  in  the  lowest  manual 
occupations  of  human  life.  The  splendors  of  its  revela¬ 
tions,  concentrated  as  they  were,  were  not  allowed  to 
obscure,  they  were  made  to  illuminate  the  humble  sphere 
of  present  duty.  Christianity  is  a  system  at  once  the 
most  comprehensive  and  the  most  simple.  While  it 
points  to  a  boundless  future,  the  contemplation  of  which 
excites  and  ravishes  the  soul,  it  gives  to  the  present  its 


217 


THE  GENIUS  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


7 


due  importance,  and  does  not  permit  us  to  disregard  the 
claims  that  are  near,  however  familiar  they  may  be. 
This,  I  conceive  to  be  the  beauty,  the  spirit,  the  genius  of 
our  religion.  While  it  animates  us  at  the  pros*pect  of 
what  we  are  to  become  hereafter,  it  adapts  itself  perfectly 
to  man  as  he  is  here. 

We  perceive  this  beautiful  characteristic  of  Christianity, 
particularly  as  it  was  exhibited  in  the  first  days  of  our  reli¬ 
gion,  tempering  the  spirit  of  the  apostles,  which  everything 
was  conspiring  to  excite,  making  it  a  duty  among  the  new 
converts,  that  they  should  give  regular  attention  to  busi¬ 
ness,  live  quietly,  and  perform  faithfully  the  duties  of  their 
several  vocations.  It  was  not  simply  the  novelty  of  their  sit¬ 
uation  and  their  new  views  and  feelings,  that  were  calcula¬ 
ted  to  create  a  disgust  at  their  old  occupations,  to  render 
them  indisposed  to  the  dull  course  of  their  ordinary  labors. 
They  might  very  naturally  have  conceived,  that  when  the 
harvest  was  so  great,  and  the  laborers  w'ere  so  few,  it  was 
their  duty  to  relinquish  their  customary  pursuits,  and  to  de¬ 
vote  themselves  to  the  great  wTork  of  reformation  which  had 
commenced  in  the  wrorld.  Plausible  as  this  course  must 
have  appeared,  when  I  consider  that  they  did  not  adopt 
it ;  or  if  they  wrere  so  inclined,  that  the  apostle,  by  express 
injunction,*  commanded  them  to  remain,  each  in  the  sta¬ 
tion,  no  matter  how  humble  and  laborious,  in  which  the  new 
religion  found  him,  Christianity  receives  my  profoundest 
admiration,  and  I  feel  that  a  system  so  exalting,  so  calcu¬ 
lated,  I  may  say,  to  excite  emotions  amounting  to  rapture, 
and  at  the  same  time  so  calm,  sober  and  judicious,  could 
not  have  had  a  human  origin  —  could  not  certainly  have 

*  See  particularly  1  Cop.  vii.  10 — 22  inclusive. 


s 


THE  GENIUS  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


248 


been  introduced  by  any  human  means,  at  that  period  at 
which  Christianity  first  appeared.  In  the  perfection  of 
its  morality,  I  perceive  the  impress  of  a  divine  hand. 

Lest  it  should  be  conceived  that  I  have  attached  a  false 
value  to  that  characteristic  of  the  religion  of  the  New  Tes¬ 
tament  upon  which  I  have  now  dwelt,  and  which  I  hold 
to  be  a  genuine  token  of  divinity,  I  proceed  to  show  that 
it  is  not  merely  in  connexion  with  the  times  of  the  apos¬ 
tles,  that  the  peculiar  excellence  of  Christianity  is  visible. 
There  are  many  other  respects  in  which  it  is  apparent 
that  we  owe  particular  reverence  to  Christianity,  for  the 
important  influence  it  aims  to  exert  upon  man  in  his  most 
familiar  duties,  in  the  common  routine  of  life. 

1.  In  the  first  place,  let  it  be  observed  that  this  trait  in 
the  religion  of  the  New  Testament  is,  strictly  speaking, 
peculiar  to  it  —  that  it  belongs  in  no  similar  degree  to  any 
other  system.  Compare  Christianity  with  any  other  reli¬ 
gion,  in  the  attention  which  it  bestows  upon  man’s  daily 
conduct,  in  the  fidelity  with  which  it  accompanies  him 
down  among  his  most  ordinary  occupations,  and  in  his 
usual  intercourse  with  the  world,  and  you  will  find  that  it  is 
the  spirit  of  all  other  religions  and  of  all  those  false  forms 
which  Christianity  itself  has  been  made  to  assume,  to 
make  only  occasional  and  partial  requisitions  of  human 
service  —  to  leave  men  to  themselves,  except  upon  partic¬ 
ular  days,  and  with  regard  to  particular  exercises.  In- 
fact,  religion,  except  under  the  liberal  dispensation  of  pure 
Christianity,  is  a  thing  by  itself,  detached  from  all  the 
concerns  of  life,  consisting  of  certain  observances  very 
imposing  perhaps,  in  the  repetition  of  certain  words,  in 
the  profession  of  certain  formulas,  o?  in  the  achievement 


249 


THE  GENIE*  OF  CHRISTIANITY, 


9 


of  great  and  separate  acts  of  self-denial  or  charity.  It  is 
altogether  peculiar  to  our  religion,  according  to  a  liberal 
construction  of  it,  that  it  dignifies  the  whole  life,  with  all 
its  parts,  public  and  private,  social  and  domestic,  with  the 
name  of  religious  duty.  It  teaches  us,  that  in  our  daily 
intercourse  with  one  another,  in  the  humblest  details,  in 
every  matter  of  conduct,  there  is  a  way  of  acting  and 
feeling,  which  when  a  man  pursues,  he  is  entitled  to  the 
appellation  of  a  religious  man,  a  Christian.  It  assures 
us  that  a  religious  spirit  can  be  expressed  by  a  quiet  and 
industrious  attention  to  business,  as  significantly  as  by  a 
prayer  and  a  solemn  rite.  In  the  vocabulary  of  every 
other  system,  religion  signifies  something  separate,  sa¬ 
cred,  apart ;  but  to  the  practised  ear  of  an  enlightened 
Christian,  it  conveys  a  very  different,  a  much  larger  mean¬ 
ing.  It  is  but  another  word  for  the  whole  life,  with  all  its 
business  quietly  and  regularly  performed,  all  its  pleasures 
moderately  enjoyed,  all  its  evils  patiently  borne.  It  is 
the  general  cultivation  and  happy  and  constant  exercise  of 
one’s  nature  in  all  those  ways  in  which  it  was  intended  to  be 
exercised.  It  is  the  healthy  putting  forth  of  the  affections 
around  their  natural  objects.  It  is  the  enlargement  of  the 
character,  until  it  is  made  to  fill  all  the  parts  of  human  duty, 
2.  If  you  would  have  still  further  evidence  how  entirely 
peculiar  it  is  to  uncorrupt  Christianity,  to  place  the 
whole  life,  with  all  its  occurrences,  within  the  sphere 
of  religious  obligation,  compare  the  Christian  system  in 
this  respect  with  the  general  sentiment  of  mankind,  and 
see  how  vastly  superior  it  is.  It  is  the  general  disposition 
to  make  great  account  of  great  acts.  Our  moral  judg¬ 
ments  are  determined  by  the  manner  in  w^hich  men  act 
upon  great  occasions,  and  we  are  apt  to  place  religious 


10 


THE  GENIUS  CHRISTIANITY. 


250 


excellence  altogether  in  the  performance  of  striking  deeds, 
and  little  is  thought  of  the  general  tenor  of  a  man’s  life. 
We  can  scarcely  help  thinking  well  of  an  individual,  if  we 
only  know  that  he  is  zealous  about  religious  forms,  or  that 
he  has  occasionally  done  some  great  act  of  generosity. 
Men  attach  little  or  no  religious  value  to  that  form  of 
character  which  may  be  exhibited  under  the  common  re¬ 
lations  of  society.  If  the  most  that  you  can  say  of  a  man 
is,  that  he  is  a  faithful  son,  or  an  affectionate  brother,  or 
that  he  is  inflexibly  upright  in  his  calling  —  this  may  be  all 
very  well  —  but  it  proves  nothing  in  the  general  mind,  as  to 
his  possession  of  the  temper  and  character  of  a  Christian. 

Nothing  illustrates  the  general  feeling  on  this  point 
more  strikingly  than  the  effect  commonly  produced  upon 
people’s  minds  in  seasons  of  great  religious  excitement, 
when  men  are  more  than  ordinarily  impressed.  Then 
what  a  disgust  is  created  at  that  domestic,  household  reli¬ 
gion,  that  excellence  which  may  be  won  and  exhibited 
in  the  common  walks  of  life  !  How  does  the  excited  mind 
nauseate  a  humble  calling,  pant  to  quit  its  lowly  sta¬ 
tion,  and  undertake  the  office  of  a  spiritual  leader. 
If  a  want  of  the  requisite  qualifications,  if  the  sex  of 
the  individual  preclude  the  possession  of  official  weight, 
still  the  domestic  circle  will  be  deserted,  the  foot  will  be 
turned  away  from  the  familiar  paths  of  life,  and  such 
exercises  will  be  engaged  in,  as  best  accord  with  the 
enlivened  sensibilities  of  the  mind.  The  high  labors  of 
devotion  and  exhortation,  will  be  undertaken  upon  occa¬ 
sions  and  in  places  which  have  all  the  excitement  of  publi¬ 
city  without  the  name. 

Thus  when  men  are  taking  the  deepest  interest  in  re¬ 
ligion,  they  only  show  how  superior  the  moral  tone  of 


251 


THE  GENIUS  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


11 


Christianity  is  to  their  best  moral  sentiments.  The  gen¬ 
erality  of  believers  have  not  yet  come  up  to  the  spiritual 
import  of  their  religion.  The  Christian  system,  properly 
viewed,  makes  account  of  our  every-day  feelings,  of 
manners  even,  of  our  social  intercourse,  of  our  domes¬ 
tic  habits,  and  attaches  to  them  a  religious  value,  and 
brings  them  into  the  estimate  of  the  character.  And  if 
men  were  really  christianised  in  their  sentiments,  every 
revival  of  religion  would  be  marked  by  an  increased 
tenderness  of  conscience,  not  with  regard  to  devotional 
acts  only  —  the  outward  forms  and  signs  of  religion,  but 
to  the  daily  conduct  and  the  natural  obligations  of  human 
life. 

3.  In  further  illustration  of  our  subject,  let  us  observe 
how  perfectly  Christianity,  in  our  view  of  the  representa¬ 
tions  which  it  makes  of  human  duty,  coincides  with  samo 
of  the  plainest  dictates  of  reason,  some  of  the  clearest 
conclusions  of  common  sense. 

Where  we  are,  we  are  stationed  by  our  Creator. 
And  from  the  exquisite  wisdom  displayed  in  all  hi3  ar¬ 
rangements,  the  inference  is  that  our  duty  is  Jierz,  that 
our  chief  labor  is  to  be  performed  in  that  portion  of  his 
vineyard  which  he  has  assigned  us.  And  if  we  look  in> 
mediately  around  us,  we  may  find  enough  to  do.  Are  we 
children  1  Then  have  we  parents  to  honor  and  comfort. 
Are  we  parents  ?  Then  have  we  a  great  work  to  do ;  to 
rear  minds,  the  depths  of  whose  resources,  and  the  splen¬ 
dor  of  whose  expectations,  transcend  our  loftiest  concep¬ 
tions.  But  it  is  unnecessary  to  enumerate  all  the  relations 
in  which  nature  places  us.  From  all  of  them  spring  du¬ 
ties.  All  furnish  abundant  occupations  to  our  hearts  and 
hands.  As  then  it  is  the  dictate  of  reason,  that  the  ser- 


12 


THE  GENIUS  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


252 


vice  of  human  life  lies  among  its  domestic,  social  and  civil 
relations,  so  we  cannot  fail  to  honor  Christianity,  when  we 
find  her  corroborating  this  dictate,  and  pointing  to  the 
very  same  sphere  of  duty. 

4.  Again,  we  infer  that  our  principal  duty  is  close  to  us, 
within  our  personal  circle  ;  not  only  because  wre  find  our¬ 
selves  where  we  are  through  the  overruling  wisdom  of 
God,  and  have  employment  enough  provided  for  us 
in  our  ordinary  duties,  but  also  because  it  is  appa¬ 
rent  that,  by  filling  his  own  place,  one  may  do  some¬ 
thing  for  the  benefit  of  the  whole  family  of  man.  What 
a  host  of  good  influences  would  be  sent  through  the 
world,  if  every  individual  were  to  perform  the  duties  of 
his  own  station,  no  matter  how  obscure,  to  the  utmost  of  his 
ability.  What  a  lively  effect  is  produced  by  a  bright  ex¬ 
ample  of  diligence,  integrity,  and  common  kindness,  upon 
those  who  come  within  its  attraction  !  The  young  man, 
just  entering  upon  active  life,  looks  up  to  him  who  has 
won  his  admiration  by  his  undeviating  uprightness  and 
unfaltering  perseverance,  and  his  ambition  is,  to  re¬ 
semble  him  whom  he  respects  so  profoundly.  The  fa¬ 
mily,  in  which  good  order  and  good  will  preside  —  how 
lovely  it  is !  and  how  is  every  man  prompted  to  arrange 
his  own  household  upon  the  same  beautiful  plan.  In  a 
similar  way,  the  beneficial  influence  that  is  propagated 
from  individual  to  individual,  and  from  family  to  family, 
spreads  from  community  to  community,  and  from  nation 
to  nation.  The  effect  which  a  country  like  ours,  with  its 
free  institutions,  has,  and  is  destined  to  have,  upon  the 
general  condition  of  the  world,  is  obviously  beyond  all 
estimate.  The  longer  our  political  prosperity  lasts  and  the 
more  firmly  it  is  consolidated,  the  more  impatient  will  the 


253 


THE  GENIUS  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


13 


rest  of  mankind  become  of  the  numerous  and  unnecessary 
drawbacks  upon  their  liberties  and  their  peace.  Let  one 
free  and  happy  community  exist,  and  what  can  withstand 
the  stirring  charm  of  its  example  1  As  the  connexion  be¬ 
tween  the  individual  and  his  race  is  thus  disclosed,  the 
simple  religion  of  Jesus  must  appear  beautiful  and  true, 
when  we  observe  how  it  aims  to  make  every  man  fill  the 
place  assigned  him  by  Providence,  to  the  best  of  his 
ability. 

5.  But  in  order  to  see  still  more  clearly  that  every  man's 
main  duty  in  life  lies  among  those,  among  whom  nature 
has  placed  him,  suppose  yourself  for  a  moment  detached 
from  all  your  present  connexions,  lifted  out  of  the  place 
you  occupy,  and  carried  up  to  some  eminence,  where  the 
whole  world  —  the  whole  field  of  moral  exertion,  might 
be  spread  out  before  you.  Suppose  also,  that  you  were 
then  required  to  select  the  scene  of  your  labors  — the  spot 
upon  which  you  might  endeavor  to  act  upon  mankind 
with  the  best  prospect  of  success.  Now  as  a  man  can  al¬ 
ways  exert  upon  those  whose  modes  of  thinking,  feeling 
and  speaking,  whose  habits  of  life,  are  in  unison  with  his 
own,  a  much  readier  and  surer  influence  than  upon 
those  who  are  separated  from  him  by  foreign  ways 
of  thought  and  action,  you  would  be  compelled  to  return, 
for  the  sphere  of  your  efforts,  to  the  very  place  from  which, 
by  the  supposition,  you  had  just  been  withdrawn,  for  there 
alone,  in  your  natural  circle,  would  you  be  surrounded  by 
those  whose  sympathies  and  habits  are  in  the  closest  ac¬ 
cordance  with  your  own.  In  the  communication  of  moral 
and  intellectual  good,  there  is  need  of  some  community 
of  thought  and  feeling  between  those  who  give  and  those 
who  receive.  There  can  be  but  little  intercourse  that  is 

vol.  in. — no.  xxxv.  2 


14 


THE  GENIUS  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


254 


profitable  between  those  who  are  separated  from  each 
other  in  all  their  modes  of  mental  association  and  of  con¬ 
duct.  Our  principal  duty,  therefore,  is  among  those  to 
whom  we  are  most  nearly  assimilated  in  all  these  respects. 

.  And  with  whom  do  we,  generally  speaking,  most  closely 
sympathise,  but  with  those  of  our  own  kindred  and  tongue, 
with  those  who  have  been  subjected  to  the  same  influ¬ 
ences  that  have  contributed  to  the  formation  of  our  own 
tastes  and  habits  ?  Now  all  this  cannot  fail  to  magnify  our 
blessed  religion  —  to  increase  our  reverence  for  it,  when 
we  find  its  spirit  thus  identical  with  the  clear  and  sacred 
voices  of  reason  and  nature. 

6.  There  is  yet  another  consideration,  which,  by  show¬ 
ing  that  we  are  to  be  first  and  habitually  devoted  to  those 
who  are  nearest  to  us,  helps  to  illustrate  the  lovely  spirit 
of  pure  religion  ;  and  we  cannot  omit  it.  It  is  a  remark¬ 
able  fact,  that  while  any  single  instance  of  distress  oc¬ 
curring  in  our  own  neighborhood,  excites  the  liveliest 
sensation,  a  most  extensive  and  awful  calamity  taking 
place  in  a  distant  region  of  the  earth,  scarcely  awakens 
the  most  transient  emotion.  We  are  bereft  of  our  compo¬ 
sure,  and  overwhelmed  with  pity,  at  the  sight  of  an  indi¬ 
vidual  suffering  before  us  ;  but  the  tidings  of  some  vast 
city,  in  a  distant  portion  of  the  world,  laid  in  ruins  by  fire, 
or  laid  waste  by  the  plague,  may  arrive,  and  scarcely  one 
thrill  of  compassion  vibrates  through  our  hearts.  Why  is 
this  so  ?  Some  may  ascribe  it  to  the  perversity  of  our  na¬ 
ture  ;  but  it  admits  of  an  interpretation  far  more  honorable 
to  the  Creator.  If  we  were  affected  by  suffering  in  direct 
proportion  to  its  amount,  whether  it  were  near  us,  where 
we  might  relieve  it,  or  at  a  distance,  where  it  would  be 
beyond  the  reach  of  our  kind  offices,  we  should  be  abso 


255 


THE  GENIUS  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


15 


lutely  unfitted  for  the  necessary  business  of  life.  We 
should  be  in  a  state  of  perpetual  excitement,  and  pass 
our  lives  in  the  deepest  affliction.  Scarcely  could  we  as¬ 
semble  for  any  social  purposes,  before  some  melancholy 
intelligence  would  arrive,  and  send  us  to  our  homes  weep¬ 
ing  and  heart-broken.  The  wisdom  of  God  has  arranged 
things  differently.  The  misery  which  is  near  us,  and 
which  it  is  within  our  ability  to  relieve,  we  are  made  to 
feel  intensely.  But  it  would  have  been  diffusing  suffering 
to  a  needless  extent,  if  we  had  been  made  to  be  deeply 
affected  by  those  calamities,  which,  in  proportion  as  they 
are  removed  from  us,  it  is  out  of  our  power  to  alleviate. 
It  is  true,  that  as  our  benevolent  affections  are  cultivated, 
they  range  through  a  wider  and  ever  enlarging  circle. 
But  then  they  never  can  be  cultivated,  their  growth  is 
never  healthy,  unless  they  are  first  and  principally  fos¬ 
tered  at  home,  and  towards  those  whom  Providence  has 
thrown  within  the  reach  of  our  influence.  Our  sympa¬ 
thies  may  be  powerfully  swayed  by  the  imagination,  and 
driven  across  seas  and  deserts  ;  but  as  a  general  truth, 
they  are  powerfully  affected  by  what  is  near,  and  but  fee¬ 
bly  touched  by  what  is  remote.  This  being  our  consti¬ 
tution,  the  inference  admirably  accords  with  the  spirit  of 
the  gospel,  which  teaches  us  that  we  do  our  duty  best 
when  we  are  uniformly  faithful  to  our  natural  and  common 
relations. 

7.  The  genius  of  liberal  Christianity  advances  another 
claim  upon  our  regard,  when  we  observe  how  perfectly  it 
consults  human  comfort  in  the  cognizance  which  it  takes 
of  the  daily  feelings  and  habits  —  of  those  dispositions  of 
mind,  which  do  not  attract  public  observation.  ‘  It  is 
not’  it  has  been  observed  by  another  <  with  gross  acts  of 


16 


THE  GENIUS  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


256 


vice,  or  with  splendid  virtue,  that  our  religion  is  mainly 
conversant.  This  is  not  its  true  spirit.  It  descends  even 
to  that  turn  of  sentiment  which  fashions  the  deportment 
of  man  to  man.’  It  would  preside  in  the  daily  inter¬ 
changes  of  domestic  life,  and  incite  to  a  thousand  little 
‘  endearing  cares  and  engaging  attentions.’  It  would 
teach  us  to  be  considerate,  and  to  cheer  all  around  us 
with  ‘  glad  words  and  kind  looks.’  In  so  doing  it  takes 
a  humble  sphere,  but  it  accumulates  an  untold  amount  of 
happiness.  Great  deeds  of  benevolence,  great  acts  of 
generosity,  no  doubt  produce  a  great  deal  of  joy,  and 
make  many  hearts  light,  but  ‘  a  humane  consideration, 
a  rational  and  habitual  indulgence  for  others,  evinced  by 
an  uninterrupted  sweetness  of  manner,’  does  more,  infi¬ 
nitely  more,  for  the  substantial  and  abiding  comfort  of 
human  life.  The  causes  of  great  happiness  or  misery  are 
only  occasional.  It  is  the  little  occurrences  of  every  day, 
which,  considered  in  themselves,  may  appear  insignifi¬ 
cant,  that  go  to  make  up  the  amount  of  human  enjoyment 
or  misery.  It  is  very  seldom  that  you  have  an  opportu¬ 
nity  of  saving  the  life  of  a  fellow’  creature  ;  but  every  day 
you  may  make  some  little  contribution  to  the  happiness  of 
those  with  wdiom  you  associate,  either  by  a  kind  word,  or 
an  encouraging  smile.  You  are  not  often  called  upon  to 
submit  to  a  great  injury,  or  to  forgive  a  determined  ene¬ 
my  ;  but  almost  every  hour  of  every  day,  some  little  for¬ 
bearance  is  to  be  practised,  some  little  petulance  of  temper 
to  be  pardoned.  Christianity  therefore,  in  taking  into 
her  jurisdiction  the  usual  course  of  human  feeling  and 
conduct,  is  full  of  benevolent  wdsdom,  and  show’s  her¬ 
self  acquainted  with  the  wrants  of  man.  What  an  enor¬ 
mous  wraste  may  be  made  of  the  great  sum  of  happi- 


257 


THE  GENIUS  OF  CHIUSTIANITY. 


17 


ness,  by  the  indulgence  of  a  fretful,  uncomplying  temper 
at  home  !  It  may  ruin  the  peace  of  a  whole  family,  and 
drive  the  husband  and  father  to  the  forgetfulness  of  ex¬ 
cess.  It  is  no  common  excellence  in  Christianity,  that 
its  object  is  the  diffusion  of  a  peaceable,  quiet,  proper 
spirit  through  the  ordinary  relations  of  society. 

8.  That  religion  is  commonly  thought  to  prefer  the 
best  claim  to  our  faith,  whose  requisitions  betray  no 
weak  indulgence,  but  are  rigid  and  unbending  —  difficult 
to  be  complied  with.  Upon  this  principle,  Christianity, 
in  the  fidelity  of  its  moral  bearings,  manifests  a  decided 
superiority.  Great  acts  of  virtue,  of  self-denial,  or  of  pe¬ 
nance,  are  deemed  the  most  praiseworthy,  and  the  reli¬ 
gion  that  requires  them  is  considered  the  most  excellent, 
because  such  acts  are  supposed  to  be  the  most  difficult. 
But  the  excellence  of  the  gospel  is  as  discernible  in  the 
lowly  sphere  in  which  she  aims  to  operate,  as  in  the 
higher  walks  of  virtue.  The  intelligent  observer  will 
perceive,  that  there  is  really  more  moral  energy,  and  of 
course,  more  true  greatness  displayed,  in  the  ordinary 
virtues,  in  the  quiet  and  unostentatious  exercise,  for  in¬ 
stance,  of  common  kindness,  than  in  any  of  those  sacri¬ 
fices  or  in  any  of  those  great  deeds,  which  are  so  dazzling, 
and  which  we  are  very  much  assisted  to  perform  by 
the  prospect  of  an  immediate  reward  in  the  applause 
they  will  command.  It  is,  indeed,  comparatively  easy,  to 
make  those  great  sacrifices  which  are  only  occasional. 
Many  a  man  will  hazard  his  life  for  another, — perform 
an  extraordinary  act  of  beneficence  —  watch  with  inces¬ 
sant  care  and  admirable  patience  over  the  sick  bed  of  one 
whom  he  loves  ;  but  where,  where  under  heaven,  shall  we 
find  the  individual,  who  preserves  a  cheerful  tone  of  feeling, 

VOL.  hi. — no  xxxv.  2* 


38 


THE  GENIUS  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


258 


a  gentle  manner,  undisturbed  amidst  all  the  little  causes  of 
vexation  that  arise  even  in  the  intercourse  of  the  most 
devoted  of  friends  ?  Where  is  the  abode  around  which  the 
magic  of  domestic  affection  has  been  strong  enough  to  keep 
off  every  evil  shape  of  suspicion  and  unkindness  ?  I  know 
that  hitherto  the  world  has  attached  no  religious  worth  to 
these  humble  and  daily  exercises  of  the  social  affections 
of  which  I  speak  ;  but  I  believe  that  they  form  the  last 
accomplishment  of  the  truly  religious  man.  They  are 
the  last  and  brightest  of  those  ornaments  in  which  he  be¬ 
comes  completely  adorned  in  this  world,  and  which  re¬ 
mind  us  that  he  is  prepared  for  another.  When  you  see 
a  man  invariably  kind  in  his  temper,  acting  with  perfect 
propriety  in  all  the  minutice  of  life,  with  a  heart  so  gentle 
?.s  to  accommodate  itself  at  once  and  exactly  to  the  hap¬ 
piness  of  those  around  him,  you  have  the  surest  evidence 
that  he  has  imbibed  the  divine  spirit  of  Christianity. 
The  tree  is  loaded  and  is  bending  with  fruit.  If  a  celes¬ 
tial  light  were  illuminating  his  person,  you  would  not 
have  better  proof  that  he  is  a  child  of  God,  a  friend  of 
Jesus,  and  an  heir  of  heaven. 

9.  There  is  a  striking  and  beautiful  correspondence 
between  this  trait  of  our  religion,  upon  which  I  have 
now  dwelt,  and  the  external  creation.  The  same  mode 
of  divine  wisdom  is  discernible,  in  the  natural,  and  in  the 
spiritual  world.  We  find  the  universe  around  us  con¬ 
structed  upon  the  largest  scale,  to  effect  the  grandest  pur¬ 
poses,  and  at  the  same  time  a  delicate  care  is  bestowed 
upon  its  minutest  parts  and  its  humblest  operations.  The 
shower  which  fertilizes  hill  and  valley,  sends  its  invisible 
influence  into  every  branch  and  bud,  through  the  fibres 
of  the  smallest  plant.  The  law  which  guides  the  planets 


259 


THE  GENIUS  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


19 


in  their  paths,  reaches  to  every  atom.  The  light  which 
bathes  the  hemisphere  in  glory,  is  fitted  to  the  organs 
of  the  meanest  insect.  So  is  it  found  to  be  in  the 
moral  world,  as  that  has  been  displayed  to  us  in  the  true 
light  of  Christianity.  The  sublimest  objects  are  revealed 
to  us.  The  doors  of  the  spiritual  universe  have  been 
flung  open  before  us.  A  firmament  of  moral  glory  is  un¬ 
rolled  over  our  heads,  at  the  sight  of  which,  an  irrepres¬ 
sible  longing  after  unknown  good,  a  moral  passion  is 
awakened  within  us.  At  the  same  time,  tender  heed  is 
given  to  our  natural  affections,  and  a  careful  provision  is 
made  for  their  ordinary  exercise.  They  are  not  swal¬ 
lowed  up,  lost  and  forgotten,  in  the  glory  that  has  been 
revealed,  but  they  are  called  out,  and  actively  and  con¬ 
tinually  employed. 

10.  We  began  with  observing,  that  when  the  Apostles 
first  preached  the  religion  of  their  Master,  a  great  sen¬ 
sation  was  produced.  This  remark  may  need  to  be 
guarded.  It  may  possibly  be  inferred  from  it,  notwith¬ 
standing  the  general  tenor  of  these  pages,  that  Christian¬ 
ity  is  of  an  exciting  nature.  Whereas  its  spirit  is  peace. 
It  is  true  that  great  public  disturbances  attended  its  in¬ 
troduction.  But  this  was  owing  to  the  state  of  the  human 
mind — to  the  ignorance  and  prejudices  of  men.  Our 
Saviour  foresaw  the  consequences  of  the  collision  be¬ 
tween  his  peaceful  doctrines  and  the  interests  and  passions 
of  the  world,  and  he  said,  ‘  Think  you  that  I  have  come 
to  bring  peace  on  earth,  nay,  but  a  sword.’  Every  one 
perceives  that  he  adopted  this  striking  mode  of  expres¬ 
sion,  not  because  peace  was  not  his  great  message,  but  to 
show  in  an  impressive  manner  how  sure  and  inevitable 
were  the  commotions  by  which  the  first  steps  of  Christ- 


20 


THE  GENIUS  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


260 


ianity  would  be  accompanied.  So  certain  was  it  that 
discord  and  confusion  would  ensue,  that  our  Lord  spoke 
of  these  things  as  if  they  were  the  objects  of  his  mission. 
Still,  unavoidable  as  some  degree  of  violence  was  under 
the  circumstances  of  the  times,  it  was  accidental  and 
temporary.  And  no  one  can  doubt  that  the  main  design 
of  our  religion  is  to  produce  tranquillity  and  public  order, 
and  that  sobriety,  quietness  and  regularity  are  the  natural 
fruits  of  Christianity.  The  legacy  of  its  blessed  Founder 
was  peace.  It  sought  to  operate  on  the  human  mind,  not 
by  extravagance  and  excitement,  but  in  a  gentle  and 
gradual  manner.  Its  coming  in  the  soul  is  not  with  a 
sudden  blaze  and  with  imposing  circumstances,  but  it  is 
like  the  silent  and  slow  operations  of  the  material  crea¬ 
tion.  And  here  we  may  observe  a  still  more  striking 
analogy  than  that  last  mentioned,  between  our  religion 
and  the  wTorks  of  nature. 

It  is  the  object  of  all  religions  but  the  religion  of  the 
New  Testament  —  it  is  the  aim  of  many  religious  teach¬ 
ers  at  this  day,  —  to  startle  men,  to  produce  excitement 
and  turbulence  in  the  mind.  Now  the  design  of  the 
Creator,  so  far  as  it  is  manifest  in  the  course  of  nature 
and  providence,  appears  to  be  very  different.  He  does 
not  aim  to  excite  us,  but  to  keep  us  calm  and  composed. 
Only  think  how  tremendous  are  the  resources  of  his 
omnipotence,  and  then  look  around  you  and  see  how 
quietly  he  uses  them.  There  are  no  dazzling  and  con¬ 
founding  displays  of  power,  such  as  we  may  easily  con¬ 
ceive  him  to  make  if  he  chose.  On  the  contrary,  every 
thing  is  done  in  the  softest  and  stillest  manner.  It  seems 
as  if  God,  remembering  that  we  are  dust,  and  knowing 
how  excitable  a  creature  man  is,  took  particular  care  not 


261 


THE  GENIUS  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


21 


to  disturb  and  overthrow  our  minds.  In  an  instant  he 
might  make  such  an  exhibition  of  his  power  as  would 
drive  man  to  insanity,  and  blast  his  intellect  by  an  over¬ 
whelming  sense  of  terror.  The  Almighty,  so  far  from 
using  any  such  means  of  impressing  us,  walks  around  us 
with  noiseless  step,  and  carries  on  the  magnificent  opera¬ 
tions  of  nature  slowly  and  silently,  and  seems  to  veil  him¬ 
self  from  us  in  mercy.  The  wheels  of  God's  creation 
‘  creak  not  harsh  thunder'  as  they  turn,  but  they  roll  on 
with  a  gentleness  equalled  only  by  the  power  that  moves 
them.  Christianity  in  our  view  accords  most  beautifully 
with  the  spirit  of  nature  and  providence.  The  ends  at 
which  it  aims  are  sublime,  how  simple  and  gentle  are 
the  means  !  It  would  fashion  man,  this  poor  fabric  of 
dust,  to  the  glorious  image  of  the  Invisible  God.  But  it 
erects  no  imposing  apparatus  to  effect  this  object.  It  bids 
us  cultivate  faithfully  our  natural  affections  and  discharge 
our  plain  duties  quietly  and  without  ostentation  ;  and  in 
this  way,  the  wonderful  process  of  spiritual  creation  is 
carried  on  and  the  human  soul  becomes  a  partaker  of  the 
divine  nature. 

I  have  thus  endeavored,  in  various  ways,  to  exhibit 
what  I  conceive  to  be  the  practical  aim  —  the  spirit  of  the 
New  Testament,  because  there  is  ever  such  a  strong  dis¬ 
position  in  the  human  mind,  especially  under  deep  reli¬ 
gious  impressions,  to  start  away  from  the  natural  sphere 
of  human  duty,  and  to  have  its  sense  of  moral  obligation 
disturbed  by  false,  imaginary,  and  profitless  requisitions. 

It  is  not  intended  to  be  denied,  that  occasions  arise 
when  we  may  go  out  of  the  usual  routine  of  duty,  with 
advantage.  While  Christianity  bids  us  do  good,  espe- 


22 


THE  GENIUS  OF  CHRISTIANITY. 


262 


cially  to  them  who  are  of  the  household  of  faith,  it  bids 
us  also  do  good  to  all,  as  we  have  opportunity.  Oppor¬ 
tunities  offer  when  the  hand  of  charity  may  be  extended 
to  a  distant  sufferer.  Of  such  opportunities  we  should 
avail  ourselves.  But  we  earnestly  protest,  —  and  we  be¬ 
lieve  that  we  do  it  in  accordance  with  the  genuine  spirit 
of  our  religion  —  we  earnestly  protest  against  the  senti¬ 
ment  so  current,  that  these  opportunities  are  the  princi¬ 
pal  occasions  upon  which  our  benevolent  affections  are  to 
be  exercised  —  that  they  afford  the  chief  room  for  our 
religious  faith  to  show  itself ;  as  if  the  common  course  of 
life  did  not  daily,  hourly  and  momently,  make  demands 
upon  our  kindness,  our  patience,  our  integrity,  in  short, 
upon  every  quality  that  helps  to  constitute  the  Christian 
character ;  as  if  the  ordinary  relations  of  the  world  did 
not  furnish,  for  the  display  of  every  Christian  grace,  a 
vastly  better  opportunity  than  can  be  afforded  by  occa¬ 
sional  calls  upon  our  sympathy  made  by  great  and  distant 
objects. 

If  there  were  no  other  objection  to  this  false  sentiment, 
it  would  be  enough,  that  it  sets  up  a  most  injurious  stand¬ 
ard  of  character.  He  who  is  absorbed  in  striking  schemes, 
is  extolled  to  the  skies  on  this  account.  What  he  is  in 
common  life,  whether  he  is  affable  to  those  around  him, 
merciful  to  the  poor  debtor,  and  honorable  in  all  his 
transactions,  are  points  which,  if  they  are  not  wholly  ne¬ 
glected,  are  deemed  matters  of  inferior  importance.  On 
the  other  hand,  he  who  withholds  his  countenance  from 
the  imposing  movements  made  in  behalf  of  some  distant 
object,  no  matter  how  irreproachable  his  character  in  the 
common  offices  of  the  world,  is  regarded  with  coldness 
and  distrust. 


263 


THE  GENIUS  OP  CHRISTIANITY. 


23 


But  we  have  a  greater  objection  still  to  this  prevalent 
mode  of  feeling.  It  is  opposed  to  the  whole  spirit  of  the 
religion  of  Jesus.  That  spirit  we  have  taken  many  words 
to  illustrate ;  but  if  the  world  were  only  prepared  to  re¬ 
ceive  it,  it  might  be  described  in  a  very  few.  Charity  and 
all  the  Christian  graces  begin  at  home.  This  maxim  is, 
to  be  sure,  in  liberal  use  among  those  who  are  liberal  in 
nothing  else.  Still  it  is  true.  And  it  is  better  that  it 
should  be  sometimes  perverted,  than  always  forgotten. 
Yes,  our  virtues  must  take  firm  root  at  our  firesides. 
They  must  tenderly  overshadow  our  natural  and  familiar 
friends,  and  then  extend  themselves  to  all  those  with 
whom  we  have  any  dealings  or  intercourse.  This  is  the 
proper  growth  of  the  inward  man,  when  nurtured  by  the 
genius  of  Christianity.  The  costliest  offering  of  religion 
is  to  be  rendered  in  the  sphere  of  one’s  personal  influ¬ 
ence.  There  the  choicest  sacrifice  must  be  kindled,  and 
watched  day  and  night.  If  when  thou  corniest  to  lay  thy 
gift  upon  the  altar  of  some  public  charity,  thou  remember 
that  thy  brother  has  aught  against  thee,  leave  there  thy 
gift  —  but  no,  carry  it  back,  and  if  it  be  possible,  let  it 
help  to  cancel  what  is  due  from  thee  to  thy  brother.  It 
is  idle  for  a  man  to  profess  to  sympathise  with  the  sor¬ 
rows  of  his  race,  to  engage  with  a  proper  feeling  in  plans 
of  general  benevolence,  —  he  deceives  himself,—  if  at  the 
same  time  he  is  harsh,  impatient,  and  unforgiving,  toward 
that  small  portion  of  the  human  family,  with  which  he 
comes  into  daily  contact.  And  on  the  contrary,  if  he  who 
is  faithful  to  his  common  duties,  whose  kindness  radiates 
through  the  whole  circle  of  his  personal  influence,  at 
the  same  time  withhold  his  patronage  from  public 
schemes  of  benevolence,  it  io  not  for  his  brethren  to  che- 


24 


THE  GENIUS  C?  CHRISTIANITY. 


264 


vish  toward  him  any  feeling  but  the  most  cordial  respect. 
We  cannot  estimate  the  good  which  he  is  doing.  So 
long  as  he  discharges  so  faithfully  his  duty  to  those  around 
him,  which  is  his  first  duty,  there  is  no  room  for  anything 
but  approbation. 

There  is  nothing  so  beautiful  as  the  pure  and  uncor¬ 
rupt  religion  of  Jesus  Christ.  Would  you  look  upon  its 
beauty,  fill  yourself  with  its  quiet,  gentle,  and  glad  spirit, 
and  in  the  still  chambers  of  your  own  soul,  God  will  make 
unto  you  a  great  revelation.  Truth,  in  her  own  divine 
and  eternal  form,  shall  appear  there.  ‘  He  who  doeth 
God’s  will  shall  know  the  doctrine.*  The  tongue  of  an 
angel  could  not  give  you  such  a  sense  of  its  worth  and 
glory,  as  you  shall  have,  when  it  has  thoroughly  sanctified 
you. 


No  4  ft. 


1st  Series. 

i 

THE 


IMPORTANCE  AND  METHOD 


OF 


EARLY  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION. 


BY'  EE V.  HESRY  MONTGOMERY) 

OF  IRELAND, 


PRINTED  FOR  THE 

gtnm'ican  Sanitarian  Slssoctatton. 


BOSTON, 

GRAY  AND  BOWEN  141  WASHINGTON  STREET. 

1830. 


Price  6  Cents. 


This  tract  is  taken  from  a  volume  of  excellent  discourses,  written 
by  living  Unitarian  ministers  in  Great  Britain.  The  volume  bears 
the  title  of  6  Sermons  designed  to  be  used  m  families ;  edited  by 
Rev.  J  R.  Beard.’  Some  passages  in  this  discourse  have  been 
omitted,  to  reduce  it  within  the  limits  proper  for  the  series. 


PRINTED  BY  I.  It.  BUTTS... .BOSTOS. 


/ 


RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION. 


<  A  child  left  to  himself  bringeth  his  mother  to  shame.’ — Solomon. 


The  advice  given  by  Solomon,  to  c  train  up  a  child  in 
the  way  he  should  go,’  points  out  to  us  the  only  way,  in 
which  any  considerable  advances  can  be  made  towards 
the  extension  of  piety  and  morality.  Those  who  have 
attained  maturity,  or  arrived  at  old  age,  may  indeed 
sometimes  be  improved;  but,  as  it  is  always  difficult  to 
overcome  prejudices  and  habits,  every  man  who  truly 
aims  at  the  solid  improvement  of  his  species,  will  direct 
his  efforts  to  that  point,  in  which  they  are  most  likely  to 
be  successful.  Where  prejudices  cannot  exist  —  where 
evil  habits  cannot  have  been  formed  —  where  worldly 
maxims  and  pursuits  have  not  had  time  to  make  inroads 
upon  the  integrity  of  the  heart — this  is  the  soil  (the 
open,  the  ingenuous,  the  uncontaminated  bosom  of 
youth,)  in  which  prudence  and  affection  will  sow  the 
good  seeds  of  religion  and  virtue,  with  the  rational  and 
delightful  prospect  of  an  abundant  increase. 

We,  my  fellow  Christians,  look  upon  little  children, 
not  as  the  objects  of  God’s  wrath,  but  as  the  peculiar 
objects  of  his  paternal  affection.  We  do  not,  indeed, 


4 


I3IP0RTANCE  AXD  METHOD 


38 


consider  them  to  be  perfect;  they  have  within  them,  the 
elements  of  future  actions;  of  propensities  and  passions, 
of  virtues  and  vices,  which  may  raise  them  to  honor,  or 
sink  them  to  degradation:  but  we  view  their  hearts*  and 
their  minds  as  subjects  of  moral  culture;  as  soils,  which 
we  may  wonderfully  improve,  and  into  which  we  may 
cast  good  seed;  or,  as  fields,  which  we  may  permit  to 
be  overgrown  with  weeds,  or  even  to  be  sown  with 
tares  by  an  enemy.  In  fact,  we  adopt  the  admirable 
and  incontrovertible  sentiment  of  John  Locke,  and  look 
upon  the  infant  heart  and  mind,  c  as  clean  white  sheets 
of  paper,'  upon  which  the  characters  of  virtue  may  be 
traced  by  the  hand  of  prudence,  or  those  of  vice  im¬ 
printed  by  the  hand  of  folly.  Considerable  difference, 
no  doubt,  sometimes  exists  between  one  child  and 
another,  (as  there  does  in  all  other  animals,)  with  regard 
to  talents  and  constitutional  temperament;  but  the 
wisest  of  men  have  maintained,  and  experience  has 
fully  proved,  that  the  difference  produced  by  nature  is 
much  less  than  that  which  is  produced  by  education. 
Nature,  with  a  benignant  and  impartial  hand,  has  be¬ 
stowed  her  gifts  equally  upon  the  savage  and  the  civil¬ 
ized;  yet,  when  we  contemplate  a  barbarous  horde,  and 
turn  again  to  a  cultivated  and  Christian  community,  we 
can  scarcely  trace  the  characters  of  the  same  species. 
And,  even  in  civilized  countries,  the  disparity  between 
one  man  and  another,  between  the  unlettered  peasant, 
for  instance,  and  the  accomplished  philosopher,  is  truly 
astonishing;  yet,  the  difference  is  not  the  work  of  na¬ 
ture.  As  to  the  ground- work  and  essentials  of  true 
greatness,  it  is  very  possible,  that  the  clown  may  be,  in 
reality,  the  superior  man. 


39 


OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION. 


5 


In  fact,  the  general  history  of  mankind,  and  the  brief 
page  of  our  own  observation  and  experience,  incon- 
testibly  prove,  that  men  are  almost  entirely  the  crea¬ 
tures  of  education.  Our  knowledge,  our  tastes,  our 
habits,  our  manners,  our  morals,  nay,  even  our  very 
religious  opinions,  principally  depend  upon  it.  There 
is  no  being  in  creation  so  little  what  nature  formed  it  as 
man.  If  we  look  to  any  of  the  inferior  animals,  we  find 
the  same  species  almost  exactly  similar,  on  every  part 
of  the  globe;  but  we  never  see  two  tribes  or  two  nations 
of  men  alike;  nor  even  two  individuals  of  the  very  same 
country  and  society.  Manners  and  customs,  virtues 
and  vices,  knowledge  and  ignorance,  principles  and 
habits,  are,  with  but  little  variation,  transmitted  from 
one  generation  to  another;  and,  if  we  look  for  man  in  a 
state  of  nature,  he  is  a  being  nowhere  to  be  found.  In 
every  country,  education  and  circumstances  chiefly 
form  his  principles  and  habits  ;  and  these  almost  inva¬ 
riably  remain  with  him  through  life;  so  that  he  is  much 
more  permanently  what  he  has  become,  than  what  he 
was  created.  The  wise  men  and  the  fools,  the  saints 
and  the  sinners,  the  ornaments  and  the  disgraces,  the 
benefactors  and  the  scourges  of  the  world,  are  not  the 
work  of  nature,  but  of  man.  I  do  most  cordially  agree 
with  a  sentiment  which  I  have  some  where  seen  ex¬ 
pressed,  ‘  that  nature  never  made  a  villain.’  Consti¬ 
tutional  temperament  and  mental  powers  may  render 
some  an  easier  prey  to  temptation  and  circumstances, 
than  others  ;  but  I  do  most  firmly  believe,  that  in  almost 
every  case,  the  natural  energies  and  talents,  which 
have  carried  unfortunate  wretches  onward  to  the  com¬ 
mission  of  enormous  crimes,  would,  if  they  had  been 

VOL.  iv.  —  no.  II.  1  * 


6 


IMPORTANCE  AND  METHOD 


40 


properly  directed  from  childhood,  have  exalted  them  to 
eminence  in  virtue.  The  very  same  misguided  ingenu¬ 
ity  that  has  brought  many  a  miserable  malefactor  to 
the  gallows,  might  have  raised  him,  under  happier  cir¬ 
cumstances  and  better  instruction,  to  fortune  and  to 
fame.  Do  wre  not  find,  indeed,  in  strict  conformity  with 
this  position,  that  almost  all  the  wretched  beings,  who 
forfeit  their  lives  to  the  outraged  law’s  of  society,  attrib¬ 
ute  their  destruction  to  a  neglected  education,  or  to  evil 
company  in  their  earlier  days?  What  an  awful  and  im¬ 
portant  lesson  is  this  circumstance  calculated  to  teach 
parents,  and,  indeed,  to  all  who  have,  in  any  way,  the 
oversight  and  guidance  of  the  young!  A  single  folly 
encouraged,  a  single  evil  passion  suffered  to  triumph,  a 
single  vicious  habit  permitted  to  take  root,  in  what  an 
awful  catastrophe  may  it  one  day  terminate ! 

It  may  not  be  unnecessary  to  state  here,  that  by  the 
word  education,  which  I  have  already  used,  and  which 
I  shall  have  occasion  frequently  to  use  in  this  discourse, 

I  do  not  mean  merely,  nor  even  principally,  school 
learning;  but,  in  the  widest  sense,  everything  which 
has  a  tendency  to  influence  the  mind,  the  principles, 
the  temper,  and  the  habits  of  the  young.  In  this  legiti¬ 
mate  sense  of  the  term,  we  are  bound  to  consider  the 
restraining  of  improper  desires,  and  the  encouragement 
of  virtuous  sentiments,  to  be  a  much  more  important 
part  of  education,  than  having  children  taught  to  read 
and  write  and  cast  accounts.  This  valuable  species  of 
moral  instruction  even  the  most  illiterate  parent  is  ca¬ 
pable  of  bestowung,  and  has  constant  opportunities  of  be¬ 
stowing;  and,  believe  me,  he  or  she,  who  omits  this  duty, 
will  one  day  have  bitter  cause  to  lament  such  negligence. 


41 


OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION1. 


7 


The  temper  and  dispositions  of  a  child,  upon  which 
so  much  of  the  happiness  or  misery  of  life  depends, 
are  the  earliest  objects  of  watchfulness  and  interest; 
and  every  person,  who  has  at  all  observed  children, 
must  be  aware  how  exceedingly  early  these  begin  to 
develope  themselves.  In  fact,  they  appear  almost  with 
the  first  smile,  or  the  first  tear;  and  it  is  quite  astonish¬ 
ing,  how  soon  the  infant  can  read  the  expression  of  the 
countenance,  and  how  soon  it  becomes  sensible  of  praise 
or  blame.  Long  before  it  can  either  utter  or  under¬ 
stand  a  single  syllable,  the  little  physiognomist  can 
decipher  the  sentiments  of  the  mind,  in  the  features  of 
the  face.  So  wonderful  is  this  almost  instinctive  per¬ 
ception  of  character,  that,  I  think,  I  have  never  seen  a 
child  spontaneously  extend  its  arms  to  a  person  who 
was  decidedly  cruel  or  ill  natured.  Even  then,  educa¬ 
tion  may  begin;  nay,  I  am  persuaded,  ought  to  begin, 
I  know  that  there  is  nothing  more  common  with  parents, 
and  with  others  who  have  the  care  of  children,  than  to 
laugh  at  violent  bursts  of  bad  temper,  or  instances  of 
peevishness  and  selfishness:  and  this  practice  is  usually 
palliated  upon  the  weak  supposition,  that  such  feelings 
may  be  easily  subdued  as  the  child  grows  older;  or,  to 
use  the  vulgar  phrase,  c  when  it  gets  more  sense.’ 
But,  I  firmly  believe,  that  in  nine  cases  out  ten,  the 
requisite  portion  of  sense  never  comes  ;  whilst  the  per¬ 
nicious  tendency  and  habit  as  certainly  remain.  This 
may  appear  a  very  trifling,  perhaps  undignified,  or 
even  ludicrous  remark;  but,  from  experience  and  obser¬ 
vation,  I  am  deeply  convinced  of  its  importance;  well 
knowing,  that  nothing  so  materially  tends  to  sweeten  or 
to  embitter  the  cup  of  human  life  as  temper. 


8 


IMPORTANCE  AND  METHOD 


42 


A  well  regulated  temper  is  not  only  an  abundant  source 
of  personal  enjoyment  and  general  respect  to  its  fortunate 
possessor,  but  also  of  serious  advantage  to  others  in  all 
the  social  relations.  I  have  seen  the  mother  of  a  family, 
under  its  hallowed  influence,  moving  in  the  domestic 
circle  with  a  radiant  countenance,  and  like  the  sun  in 
the  firmament,  diffusing  light  and  joy  on  all  around  her. 
I  have  seen  her  children  artless  and  happy,  her  domes¬ 
tics  respectful  and  contented,  and  her  neighbors  emu¬ 
lous  in  offices  of  courtesy  and  kindness.  Above  all,  I 
have  seen  her  husband  returning,  with  a  weary  body 
and  an  anxious  mind,  from  the  harassing  avocations  of 
the  world;  but,  the  moment  he  set  his  foot  upon  his 
own  threshold,  and  witnessed  the  smiling  cheerfulness 
within,  the  cloud  of  care  instantly  passed  away  from 
his  brow,  and  his  heart  beat  lightly  in  his  bosom,  and 
he  felt  how  much  substantial  happiness  a  single  indi¬ 
vidual,  in  a  comparatively  humble  station,  may  be 
enabled  to  dispense.  Yet,  how  many  scenes  of  a  very 
different  character  are  every  day  exhibited  in  the  world, 
where  the  evils  of  poverty  are  augmented  ten-fold  by 
the  miserable  burthen  of  a  peevish  and  repining  spirit; 
and  where  the  blessings  of  affluence  seem  only  to  supply 
their  possessors  with  additional  means  of  manifesting 
the  extent  of  wretchedness,  personal  and  social,  which 
ill-regulated  tempers  are  able  to  produce  !  Many  a 
man,  whose  judgment  is  adequate  to  direct  the  destinies 
of  nations,  whose  eloquence  enraptures  senates,  and 
whose  playful  wit  and  vivid  fancy  render  him  the  idol 
of  the  brilliant  circles  of  fashion,  is,  nevertheless,  to¬ 
tally  unable  to  govern  his  own  temper,  and  never  enters 
his  home,  (that  spot  which,  of  all  others  upon  earth, 


43 


OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION. 


9 


should  be  peculiarly  consecrated  to  gentleness  and  affec¬ 
tion.)  in  any  other  character  than  that  of  a  cold,  gloomy 
and  capricious  tyrant.  Let  it  be  remembered,  too,  that 
the  influence  of  temper  is  coextensive  with  society 
itself;  and  it  will  not  appear  a  matter  of  trifling  mo¬ 
ment,  to  devise  the  best  means  of  regulating  and 
restraining  a  principle,  so  intimately  associated  with  the 
general  happiness  of  our  species. 

Next  to  the  regulation  of  the  temper,  should  come 
what  may  be  termed  the  moral  part  of  education;  and 
this,  I  am  persuaded,  may  also  commence  at  a  very  early 
period  of  life.  Children  can  distinguish  between  right 
and  wrong  much  sooner  than  a  superficial  observer 
would  imagine.  Playthings  are  to  them  the  same  as 
property  to  men;  and  in  the  details  of  the  nursery 
may  be  found  a  miniature  representation  of  almost 
all  the  passions,  that  actuate  society.  Sentiments  of 
honor,  generosity,  integrity,  benevolence,  and  truth 
may  all  be  cherished  at  a  very  early  age;  whilst  mean¬ 
ness,  selfishness,  dishonesty,  unkindness  and  falsehood 
may  be  as  early  and  effectually  restrained. 

So  fully  am  I  convinced  of  the  paramount  importance 
of  a  minute  and  anxious  attention  to  the  very  dawnings 
of  reason  and  of  passion,  that  I  am  convinced,  if  we  knew 
the  early  history  of  the  eminent  men  who  have  most 
adorned  and  benefited  the  world,  we  might  trace  back 
the  stream  of  their  usefulness  and  their  fame  to  the  nur¬ 
sery —  to  the  pure  fountain  of  maternal  prudence  and 
affection.  I  trust  I  shall  not  be  accused  of  degrading 
either  my  character  or  my  office,  by  the  meanness  of  flat¬ 
tery,  when  I  declare  my  firm  persuasion,  that  in  all  the 


10 


IMPORTANCE  AND  METHOD 


44 


social,  friendly,  and  most  estimable  relations  of  life,  in 
everything  that  tends  to  sweeten  the  cup  of  mortality, 
the  influence  of  woman  is  inconceivably  superior  to  that 
of  man.  But  it  is  in  the  earliest  and  most  important 
years  of  existence,  that  her  influence  is  of  unspeakable 
consequence.  The  first  dawning  of  reason,  the  first 
stirring  of  passion,  the  first  line  of  character,  are  marked 
by  her  eye.  Her  familiarity  and  affection  remove  all 
restraint,  and  she  can  distinctly  perceive  the  very  inmost 
workings  of  the  heart  and  mind.  4  From  earliest  dawn 
till  latest  eve,’  her  eye  follows  the  beloved  object  of  her 
hopes  and  fears  ;  so  that  she  enjoys  constant  opportuni¬ 
ties  of  checking  every  symptom  of  folly,  encouraging 
every  appearance  of  virtue,  and  deducing  lessons  of  im¬ 
provement  from  every  occurrence,  and  from  every  sur¬ 
rounding  object.  On  the  contrary,  man,  engaged  in  the 
turmoil  of  business,  the  cares  of  a  profession,  or  any  of 
the  thousand  harassing  avocations  of  the  world,  returns 
home,  rather  to  relax  his  mind,  by  indulging  his  little 
ones,  than  to  search  for  imperfections,  or  to  punish  faults. 
His  return  is  generally  a  little  jubilee  in  the  domestic 
circle,  and  it  would  be  hard  to  act  the  part  of  a  rigid 
censor ;  to  cast  a  gloom  over  cheerful  faces,  or  to  freeze 
the  current  of  enjoyment  in  happy  hearts.  Praise  is  al¬ 
ways  freely,  if  not  always  justly  given  ;  and  the  father  of 
a  family  often  knows  less  of  the  real  dispositions  and 
characters  of  his  children,  than  the  humblest  domestic 
in  his  establishment. 

If  we  look  to  the  commencement  of  learning,  it  is 
upon  the  mother  that  task  also  must  fall.  Her  patience, 
her  perseverance,  her  affection,  alone,  are  equal  to  sustain 


()F  RELIGIOUS  EOL'C'ATIO.V. 


II 


45 

the  irksome  drudgery  of  that  weary  season  —  irksome, 
even  where  nature  has  been  most  bountiful  ;  but  pecu¬ 
liarly  harassing,  where  she  has  been  sparing  of  her  gifts. 
And  then,  in  sickness,  in  all  the  various  diseases  incident 
to  youth,  who  to  sustain  the  heavy  head,  to  administer 
the  healing  medicine,  to  watch  the  feverish  slumber,  to 
bear  with  all  the  untoward  peevishness  of  youthful  suf¬ 
fering —  who,  but  that  same  unwearied  friend,  that  kind¬ 
est  gift  of  Heaven  —  the  Christian  Mother  ? 

Fully,  therefore,  am  I  convinced,  that  in  the  com¬ 
mencement  of  education,  which  gives  direction  to  the 
whole  of  coming  life,  mothers  have  by  far  the  more  difficult 
and  more  important  duties  to  perform.  No  young  person 
(and  I  would  to  God  that  I  could  imprint  this  sentiment 
indelibly  upon  every  youthful  mind)  can  ever  be  suffi¬ 
ciently  grateful  to  a  good  and  a  prudent  mother  ;  nor  suffi¬ 
ciently  thankful  to  a  benignant  Providence,  if  he  have 
been  blessed  with  such  a  parent.  But,  if  such  be  the 
inestimable  advantage  of  maternal  affection  regulated  by 
prudence,  and  of  maternal  gentleness  tempered  by  firm¬ 
ness,  the  evil  accruing  to  children  from  a  weak,  a  careless, 
or  a  wicked  mother,  is  equally  incalculable.  Of  all  the 
calamities  which  could  befal  an  unfortunate  family,  that 
of  an  indiscreet,  negligent,  criminal,  irreligious  mother, 
would  seem  to  me  the  greatest.  Hence,  Solomon  so 
emphatically  observes  —  ‘  A  child  left  to  himself  bringetlfi 
(not  his  father  but)  ‘  his  mother  to  shame.5  His  miscon¬ 
duct  reflects  peculiar  disgrace  upon  that  parent,  who, 
from  her  situation  and  duty,  has  been  placed  by  nature, 
to  watch  over  his  early  years  ;  to  train  him  up  in  the 
paths  of  religion,  of  virtue,  and  of  peace.  An  unceasing 
anxiety  with  regard  to  the  interests  of  the  young,  a  little 


12 


IMPORTANCE  AND  METHOD 


46 


reading  of  biography,  some  observation  of  characters, 
and  a  great  deal  of  conversation  with  wise  and  experi¬ 
enced  men  have  led  me  to  this  conclusion,  that  in  almost 
every  case,  the  children  of  a  prudent,  intelligent,  faithful, 
virtuous  and  religious  mother  become  prosperous,  happy, 
and  honored  in  the  world  ;  whilst  those  of  a  negligent, 
ignorant,  or  sinful  mother,  rarely  attain  common  respec¬ 
tability,  and  much  less  eminence  or  distinction.  Doubt¬ 
less,  some  exceptions  to  this  general  principle  might  be 
easily  pointed  out,  but  they  could  not  invalidate  the  tes¬ 
timony  of  ‘  the  cloud  of  witnesses,’  which  might  be  ad¬ 
duced  upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  question.  Every 
person  who  has  carefully  looked  into  the  world,  with  a 
view  of  tracing  the  formation  of  human  character,  must 
be  convinced,  that  the  influence  of  fathers  is  neither  so 
great  nor  so  extensive.  The  unhallowed  example  of 
many  a  worthless  father  has  been  rendered  totally  innox¬ 
ious,  by  the  wisdom  and  vigilance  of  a  virtuous  mother  ; 
whilst  the  most  judicious  arrangements  and  the  most  in¬ 
defatigable  exertions  of  the  best  of  fathers  have  been 
entirely  defeated  by  the  perverse  and  sinful  indulgence 
of  weakly,  affectionate  and  imprudent  mothers. 

Might  not  this  very  plain  statement  enforce  a  most  sal¬ 
utary  lesson,  with  regard  to  the  education  of  females? 
From  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  they  are  the  ornament,  the 
solace,  and  the  blessing  of  man.  Our  first  smile  is  drawn 
forth  by  their  tenderness,  our  returning  cares  are  soothed 
by  their  sympathy,  and,  when  sterner  natures  flee  from 
the  chamber  of  suffering,  our  latest  sigh  is  answered  by 
their  affection.  It  is  principally,  however,  as  being  the 
chief  agents  in  forming  the  dispositions  and  characters  of 
the  rising  generation,  that  their  influence  is  powerful  and 


47 


OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION. 


13 


extensive,  beyond  all  calculation.  True,  they  sit  not  in 
the  senate,  but  they  form  the  legislators  who  are  to  guide 
the  destinies  of  our  country;  they  preside  not  upon  the 
bench,  and  they  enter  not  the  jury  box,  yet  the  balance 
and  the  sword  of  justice  are  under  their  control;  they  do 
not  ascend  the  pulpit,  but  the  principles  and  usefulness 
of  the  divine  are  chiefly  of  their  formation;  they  engage 
not  in  the  toils  of  a  profession,  or  the  affairs  of  trade, 
but  they  mould  the  characters  of  those,  upon  whose  in¬ 
tegrity  and  talents  the  happiness  of  individuals  and  the 
prosperity  of  the  nation  so  materially  depend. 

I  do,  then,  seriously  ask  every  good  and  every  think¬ 
ing  man,  if  any  education  could  be  too  extensive  and  too 
solid  for  human  beings  engaged  in  the  discharge  of  such 
important  duties ;  whose  influence  pervades  the  entire 
frame  of  society,  reaching  from  the  cottage  to  the  palace, 
and  extending  in  its  results  from  time  even  to  eternity  ? 
I  know  it  is  urged  by  many,  that  the  sole  business  of 
woman  is  to  regulate  her  domestic  concerns,  to  promote 
the  comfort  of  her  husband,  and  to  attend  to  the  manage¬ 
ment  of  her  children ;  and  that,  for  such  purposes,  only 
a  small  share  of  learning  or  knowledge  is  required.  Now 
the  error  here,  lies  not  in  a  mistaken  estimate  of  what 
are  really  the  principal  concerns  of  woman,  (for  undoubt¬ 
edly  the  domestic  circle  is  the  proper  sphere  both  of  her 
usefulness  and  honor,)  but  in  underrating  the  qualifi¬ 
cations  necessary  for  the  faithful  and  efficient  discharge 
of  her  important  duties.  The  very  regulation  of  the  or¬ 
dinary  affairs  of  a  household  must  be  defective,  where 
there  is  a  want  of  order,  and  energy,  and  information,  in 
the  presiding  intellect;  and  it  is  not  easy  to  conceive 
how  the  rational  enjoyments  of  an  enlightened  husband 

VOL  IV.  - NO.  II.  2 


14 


IMPORTANCE  AND  METHOD 


48 


can  possibly  be  promoted  by  the  society  of  a  wife,  in 
whose  tastes  and  acquirements  he  can  neither  find  sym¬ 
pathy  nor  edification.  With  regard  to  the  management 
of  children,  no  talents,  no  endowments  can  be  too  high 
for  so  important  a  task.  Even  in  the  lowest  mechanical 
employment,  the  artisan  requires  to  understand  the  prop¬ 
er  use  of  his  implements,  and  the  nature  of  the  materials 
upon  which  he  is  to  operate  ;  and  surely,  a  Christian 
mother,  whose  own  mind  is  either  a  waste  or  a  wilder¬ 
ness,  must  be  totally  unfitted  for  enlarging  the  under¬ 
standings,  cultivating  the  dispositions,  regulating  tire 
principles,  and  forming  the  habits  of  her  offspring.  In 
truth,  such  a  mother  is  doubly  unfitted  for  her  station  ; 
first,  by  incapacity  ;  and  again,  in  being  unable  to  secure 
that  filial  reverence  and  respect,  which  are  essential  to 
the  due  efficacy  of  all  parental  instruction. 

Let  it  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  I  am  an  enemy 
to  what  are  termed  ‘  female  accomplishments/  On  the 
contrary,  I  consider  them,  when  moderately  and  ration¬ 
ally  pursued,  as  eminently  calculated  to  refine  the  taste 
and  harmonize  the  feelings  of  those  who  possess  them,, 
whilst  they  powerfully  tend  to  sweeten  the  intercourse  of 
the  domestic  and  friendly  circle,  to  augment  the  enjoy¬ 
ments  of  general  society,  and  to  cast  a  sunshine  over  the 
gloomy  realities  of  life.  Amidst  the  ten  thousand  pur¬ 
suits  and  cares  of  the  world,  the  mind  and  the  spirits  re¬ 
quire  relaxation,  as  well  as  the  body  ;  and  the  tastes  and 
circumstances  of  women  peculiarly  fit  them  for  the  ac¬ 
quisition  of  those  accomplishments,  which  interest  the 
understanding,  whilst  they  soothe  the  heart.  Many  a 
father  have  I  seen,  after  a  toilsome  and  anxious  day,  re¬ 
laxing  his  brow  of  care,  and  considering  all  his  exertions 


4T) 


OE  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION. 


15 


as  more  than  repaid,  whilst,  with  parental  pride,  he  noted 
the  improvement,  or  joined  in  the  innocent  amusements 
of  his  children,  and  cast  a  look  of  gratified  affection  upon 
the  faithful  companion  of  his  life  !  I  know  nothing  in  phi¬ 
losophy,  I  know  nothing  in  religion, which  forbids  such  feel¬ 
ings  and  such  enjoyments.  Yet,  I  am  persuaded,  that  ac¬ 
complishments  should  only  be  the  adjuncts  of  education, 
and  not  its  principal  business,  or  its  chief  end;  and,  in  my 
mind,  there  is  nothing  incompatible  between  elegance 
and  solidity.  On  the  contrary,  I  am  convinced,  that  the 
mind  which  is  most  enlarged  by  the  possession  of  sub¬ 
stantial  knowledge,  is  the  best  calculated  to  appreciate 
and  to  enjoy  those  less  serious  branches  of  education, 
which  tend  to  cheer  and  to  ornament  society.  I  do  not 
despair  of  seeing  the  time,  when  young  females  shall 
consider  themselves  infinitely  better  employed  in  reading 
the  real  history  of  nations,  than  in  perusing  volumes  of 
unnatural  fiction,  which  only  fills  the  mind  with  false 
ideas,  and  the  heart  with  injurious  feelings  —  when  they 
shall  be  no  more  ashamed  of  learning  ancient  than  mod¬ 
ern  languages,  or  of  attending  instructions  in  philosophy 
which  would  enlarge  their  understandings,  than  of  fre¬ 
quenting  the  gaudy  circles  of  fashion  and  amusement  — 
when  they  shall  think  it  more  honorable  to  possess  such 
a  knowledge  of  moral  science  and  the  principles  of  hu¬ 
man  action  and  duty,  as  would  render  them  useful  moth¬ 
ers,  than  to  imitate,  after  years  of  labor,  *  the  wino;  of  a 
butterfly,  or  the  hue  of  a  rosed 

It  may  be  inquired,  however,  would  I  educate  every 
woman  for  a  governess  ?  Yes,  most  assuredly.  Every 
mother  is,  or  at  least  ought  to  be,  a  teacher  of  the  holiest 
and  most  interesting  kind.  Various  avocations  may  pre- 


16 


IMPORTANCE  AND  METHOD 


50 


vent  her  from  being  a  regular  instructed  but  no  earthly 
consideration  should  preclude  her  from  being  the  occa¬ 
sional,  nay  the  frequent  teacher  of  her  children.  In  or¬ 
der  that  she  may  be  able  to  act  thus,  to  select  proper 
assistants  in  the  sacred  work,  to  judge  of  their  fidelity 
in  the  execution,  and  to  preserve  a  spirit  of  energy  and 
zeal,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  she  should  herself 
possess  the  requisite  qualifications.  I  care  not  what 
may  be  her  station,  this  is  her  duty.  If  her  rank  be 
humble,  prudence,  economy,  and  a  laudable  desire  to 
advance  her  family  demand  it.  If  her  rank  be  exalted, 
many  considerations  render  it  still  more  imperative. 
Too  many,  I  fear,  in  affluent  circumstances  imagine, 
that  because  they  can  afford  ample  remuneration  to 
competent  instructers,  they  are  therefore  exempted 
from  all  personal  attention  to  the  education  of  their  chil¬ 
dren.  No  error  could  be  more  fatal.  In  the  higher 
ranks  of  life,  where  young  persons  are  perpetually 
surrounded  by  fawning  and  interested  flatterers,  where 
the  innate  vanity  and  presumption  of  the  human  heart 
are  inflamed  by  indulgence  and  conscious  superiority, 
no  authority  less  than  parental  is  adequate  to  restrain 
the  passions,  to  discipline  the  principles,  to  form  the 
habits,  and  to  animate  exertion.  And,  let  it  be  farther 
considered,  that  in  proportion  as  the  station  is  exalted, 
so  is  the  influence  of  the  individual  occupying  it  ex¬ 
tended.  The  happiness  of  thousands  frequently  de¬ 
pends  upon  the  disposition  and  character  of  a  single 
person.  The  affluent  man,  of  enlightened  piety,  hu¬ 
mane  sentiments,  cultivated  understanding,  and  enlarg¬ 
ed  views  of  public  usefulness,  is  often  the  means  of  dif¬ 
fusing  over  a  wide  circle  the  inestimable  blessings  of 

O 


51 


OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION. 


1? 


religion  and  morality,  of  industry  and  prosperity,  of 
cheerfulness  and  peace.  On  the  other  hand,  the  igno¬ 
rant  and  profligate  man  of  wealth,  without  knowledge 
or  inclination  to  do  good,  possessing  ample  means  for 
the  gratification  of  degrading  passions  and  tyrannical 
propensities,  necessarily  becomes  a  moral  pestilence, 
diffusing  the  contagion  of  vice  and  misery  through  all 
the  channels  of  social  life  around  him.  Of  what  pecu¬ 
liar  importance  is  it,  therefore,  not  only  for  their  own 
honor  and  happiness,  but  also  for  the  good  of  society, 
that  persons  occupying  influential  stations  should  re¬ 
ceive  a  solid  and  virtuous  education. 

The  Christian  mother,  who  imagines  that  her  rank  ex¬ 
empts  her  from  the  duties  of  parental  vigilance  and  in¬ 
struction,  wofully  miscalculates  the  nature  of  her  office; 
and  she  who  looks  upon  it  as  a  degradation  to  be¬ 
come  the  instructress  of  her  own  children,  is  a  total 
stranger  to  that  which  constitutes  the  highest  honor  of  her 
sex  and  station.  In  the  circle  of  fashion,  she  may  be 
fair  and  lovely;  her  accomplishments  may  secure  the 
admiration  of  others,  and  swell  her  own  heart  with 
vanity  :  but,  after  all,  such  is  not  the  true  scene  of 
her  genuine  interest,  and  respectability  and  happiness. 
The  sphere  of  her  substantial,  unfading  honor  lies 
far  away  from  the  crowded  haunts  of  amusement,  in  a 
peaceful  and  secluded  apartment  of  her  happy  home. 
There,  in  the  midst  of  her  little  ones,  she  represses  the 
frowardness  of  one,  encourages  the  diffidence  of  anoth¬ 
er,  and  ‘  in  familiar  phrase  and  adapted  story’  pours 
lessons  of  instruction  into  the  minds  of  all.  With  a 
mother’s  gentleness,  she  draws  forth  their  talents; 
with  a  mother’s  firmness,  she  regulates  their  tempers; 

VOL.  iv.  —  no.  II.  2# 


18 


IMPORTANCE  AND  METHOD 


52 


with  a  mother's  prudence,  she  prepares  them  to  adorn 
their  station  upon  earth;  and  with  a  mother’s  piety, 
she  leads  them  in  the  onward  path  towards  heaven. 
The  wide  expanse  of  the  globe  presents  no  object  more 
interesting,  more  exalted,  or  more  useful  than  such  a 
Christian  parent;  nor  is  there  any  spot  of  nature,  on 
which  the  eye  of  Omniscience  rests  with  more  com¬ 
placency,  than  upon  the  retired  and  peaceful  scene  of 
her  virtuous  labors.  Such  a  mother  becomes  the  centre 
of  a  system  of  usefulness,  of  whose  extent  the  imagina¬ 
tion  can  form  no  adequate  conception;  for  there  is  not 
a  single  worthy  principle  which  she  instils,  that  may  not 
descend  as  the  ornament  and  solace  of  ten  thousand 
generations.  For  my  own  part,  I  have  always  consid¬ 
ered  parents,  who  devoted  their  leisure  hours  to  the  in¬ 
struction  of  their  offspring,  as  the  most  estimable  and 
the  most  useful  members  of  society;  and  I  never  could 
read  the  story  of  the  Spartan  king,  who  was  found  by 
the  Persian  ambassadors  playing  in  the  midst  of  his 
children,  without  looking  upon  that  circumstance  as 
more  honorable  than  all  his  victories.  I  do  especially 
believe,  that  no  plan  could  be  devised  for  elevating  the 
entire  frame  of  society  half  so  efficacious,  as  that  which 
would  produce  a  succession  of  well-instructed,  judicious 
and  virtuous  Christian  mothers.  The  laws  of  the  states¬ 
man,  and  the  lessons  of  the  divine,  would  be  but  feeble 
instruments  of  prevention  and  reformation,  in  compari¬ 
son  with  the  hallowed,  all-pervading  agency  of  mater¬ 
nal  wisdom,  energy  and  affection.  Let  it  not  be  sup¬ 
posed,  however,  that  I  am  the  advocate  of  visionary 
schemes  of  education.  It  would  neither  be  practicable 
nor  desirable,  for  every  woman  to  become  deeply  learn- 


53 


OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION7. 


19 


ed  ;  but  I  would  have  every  female  substantially  edu¬ 
cated,  in  proportion  to  her  rank,  her  abilities  and  her 
opportunities.  This  is  surely  neither  unreasonable  nor 
impracticable;  and  I  am  persuaded,  that  in  this  age  of 
increasing  light,  it  is  a  subject  which  will  gradually  se¬ 
cure  a  larger  portion  of  public  consideration. 

The  paramount  importance  of  a  minute  and  anxious 
attention  to  the  principles  and  habits  of  the  young, 
naturally  suggests  the  absolute  necessity  of  the  strict¬ 
est  vigilance  in  the  selection  of  domestic  servants.  In 
all  families,  above  the  very  lowest  ranks,  domestics  are 
necessarily  the  frequent,  and,  in  many  cases,  the  ordi¬ 
nary  companions  of  children.  It  is  much  to  be  lament¬ 
ed,  that  the  young  are  seldom  admitted  to  the  presence 
of  their  parents,  except  at  stated  times  of  formal  exhibi¬ 
tion  and  indulgence.  They  are,  therefore,  at  a  period 
of  life,  when  the  mind  is  perpetually  demanding  infor¬ 
mation,  and  the  heart  peculiarly  susceptible  of  impres¬ 
sions,  thrown  almost  entirely  upon  their  own  resources, 
or  upon  the  casual  assistance  of  servants.  If  these  be 
ignorant,  they  cannot  satisfy  the  cravings  of  the  mind 
after  knowledge;  if  they  be  superstitious,  they  must 
inspire  visionary  and  enfeebling  terrors  ;  and  if  they  be 
blasphemous  or  licentious  in  their  language,  they  ne¬ 
cessarily  corrupt  the  principles  and  habits.  Have  we 
not  all  known  melancholy  instances,  in  which  the  mout 
affectionate  and  judicious  exertions  of  parents  have 
been  totally  counteracted,  even  by  the  casual  associa¬ 
tion  of  a  profligate  domestic?  and  what  must  be  the 
fatal  consequences,  when  the  young  mind  is  exposed 
to  the  perpetual  influence  of  ignorance  and  immorality? 
Yet,  how  seldom  do  these  considerations  occur,  even  in 


20 


IMPORTANCE  AND  METHOD 


54 


the  engagement  of  those  domestics  whose  special  prov¬ 
ince  is  the  management  of  the  young!  The  principal 
qualifications  sought  for  are,  manners,  accent,  personal 
neatness,  and  habits  of  attention.  These,  I  admit,  are 
all  desirable  ;  but  what  are  they,  without  the  accompa¬ 
niment  of  religious  principles,  pure  conversation,  and  a 
virtuous  deportment  ?  Few  individuals  would  be  dis¬ 
posed  to  admit  into  their  families  persons  who  were  la¬ 
boring  under  a  contagious  disease,  although  the  ca¬ 
lamity  could  only  be  temporary,  and  the  utmost  penalty, 
earthly  loss  :  and,  yet,  how  little  do  they  dread  the  ad¬ 
mission  of  those  who  may  infect  the  very  hearts  and 
spirits  of  their  children  with  a  moral  pestilence,  equally 
awful  and  incurable!  For  my  own  part,  I  solemnly  de¬ 
clare,  that  I  would  prefer  the  introduction  of  a  fever 
into  my  dwelling,  to  the  residence  of  a  servant,  for  a 
single  month,  in  familiar  intercourse  with  my  children, 
whose  habits  w7ere  immoral,  and  whose  conversation 
was  indecent  or  profane. 

The  truth  is,  the  best  exertions  of  parents  must  fail  to 
preserve  their  offspring  uncontaminated,  amidst  unprin¬ 
cipled  and  profligate  domestics.  It,  therefore,  becomes 
a  matter  of  the  most  serious  concern  to  every  Christian 
parent,  to  ascertain  the  best  means  of  securing  a  suc¬ 
cession  of  servants,  worthy  of  his  confidence  and  protec¬ 
tion.  This  desideratum  can  only  be  obtained,  by  con¬ 
ferring  upon  the  humbler  ranks  the  means  of  procuring 
a  reasonable  literary  education,  based  upon  the  solid 
foundation  of  religious  and  moral  principles.  Every 
man  of  affluence,  and  every  man  in  the  middle  walks  of 
life,  may  assist  in  carrying  forward  this  great  wrork,  not 
merely  by  his  pecuniary  contributions,  but  also  by  his 


55 


OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION. 


21 


countenance  and  personal  exertions  in  promoting  Sun¬ 
day  School  instruction.  The  Lord’s  day  is  peculiarly 
favorable  for  the  inculcation  of  religious  principles; 
and  I  know  not  how  the  immediate  service  of  God  can 
be  more  properly  preceded  or  followed,  than  by  acts  of 
beneficence  and  good-will  towards  our  fellow-creatures. 
Let  it  be  remembered,  too,  that  our  exertions  in  this 
holy  cause  will  be  like  the  mercy,  so  beautifully  de¬ 
scribed  by  the  poet,  ‘  twice  blest  —  blessing  him  that 
gives,  and  him  that  receives.’  Besides  c  the  luxury  of 
doing  good,’  we  shall  receive  a  solid  recompense  in  the 
faithful,  virtuous,  and  exemplary  domestics,  whom  we 
are  preparing  for  ourselves,  and  our  children,  and  our 
children’s  children.  Were  we,  in  addition  to  these  in¬ 
structions,  to  require  of  all  the  inmates  of  our  dwell¬ 
ings  a  regular  attendance  upon  the  stated  ordinances 
of  religion,  and  to  associate  them  with  ourselves  in  our 
family  devotions,  we  should  still  farther  secure  their 
fidelity  and  affection. 

Yet,  after  all,  we  ought  to  be  the  principal  compan¬ 
ions  of  our  own  children.  It  is  unnatural,  it  is  criminal, 
it  is  destructive,  to  throw  them  almost  exclusively  into 
the  society  of  those,  who  must  be,  at  best,  but  ill  quali¬ 
fied,  and  not  much  inclined,  to  be  their  instructors. 
Can  there  be  any  soil  more  worthy  of  our  sedulous  cul¬ 
tivation,  than  the  minds  and  the  hearts  of  our  own  off¬ 
spring  ?  The  period  is  approaching  in  which  we  shall 
have  to  render  an  account  for  every  gift  of  Providence; 
and  for  none  shall  we  be  more  awfully  responsible,  than 
for  the  immortal  souls  committed  to  our  care. 

If  education  be  of  such  vast  importance,  as  I  have  en¬ 
deavored  to  demonstrate,  every  attempt  to  explain  the 


22 


IMPORTANCE  AND  METHOD 


56 


most  proper  method  of  conducting  it  is  entitled  to  serious 
consideration.  I  proceed,  therefore,  to  make  a  few  plain 
observations,  which  may,  I  trust,  under  the  influence  of 
divine  grace,  be  the  means  of  impressing  the  minds  of 
some  with  a  deeper  sense  of  duty,  and  assisting  con¬ 
scientious  parents  to  4  train  up  their  children  in  the  way 
they  should  go.5 

Good  principles  being  equally  the  ground-work  of  all 
true  virtue  and  of  all  solid  happiness,  parents  ought  very 
early  to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  their  offspring  an 
abiding  sense  of  the  existence,  the  presence,  and  the 
providence  of  God.  and  thus  lay  the  foundation  of  a  re¬ 
ligious  education.  I  say,  of  a  religious  education;  for 
I  am  firmly  pursuaded,  that  ah  instruction,  which  is  not 
connected  with  the  great  principles  of  Christianity,  rests 
upon  a  basis  totally  devoid  of  permanency  and  security. 
If  parents  inculcate  the  necessity  of  diligent  application, 
obliging  manners,  and  moral  respectability,  merely  upon 
the  ground  of  temporal  convenience  or  advantage,  their 
education  is  like  4  the  bouse  which  was  built  upon  the  sand;5 
for,  when  the  winds  and  the  floods  of  trial  and  temptation 
beat  upon  it,  it  will  assuredly  fall.  But  an  education 
conducted  under  the  sacred  sanctions  of  religion  resem¬ 
bles  4  the  bouse  which  was  founded  upon  a  rock  ;  5  it  will 
stand  secure,  a  shelter  and  a  home,  amidst  all  the  storms 
and  agitation  of  the  world. 

I  am  very  far  from  desiring,  however,  that  young  per¬ 
sons  should  become  religious  professors,  unnatural  de¬ 
votees,  or  ignorant  controversialists.  Ridiculous  stories 
of  wonderful  children  have  been  told,  and  written,  and 
circulated,  to  the  serious  injury  of  true  piety,  and  the 
mortification  of  all  sober-minded  Christians.  Poor  young 
creatures  scarcely  acquainted  with  the  rudiments  of 


57 


OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION. 


23 


human  learning,  and  knowing  no  more  of  the  divine 
word,  than  the  few  passages  which  they  have  been  taught 
to  repeat  in  confirmation  of  some  favorite  dogma,  are 
often  represented  as  ‘  understanding  all  knowledge  and 
all  mysteries  ;  ’  as  more  competent  judges  of  the  sublime 
doctrines  of  the  Bible,  than  some  of  the  wisest  and  the 
best  of  men,  and  as  enjoying  the  immediate  ‘  testimony 
of  the  Spirit/  with  regard  to  the  truth  of  their  own 
opinions.  Such  representations  have  the  most  powerful 
tendency  to  destroy  the  natural  modesty  and  ingenuous¬ 
ness  of  youth,  to  fill  the  mind  with  delusion  and  the 
heart  with  presumption,  to  encourage  false  profession, 
and  undermine  the  very  foundations  of  rational  piety. 
Yet,  whilst  I  feel  myself  bound  to  condemn  such  a  pre¬ 
tended  and  unattainable  knowledge  of  the  ‘  deep  things  of 
Heaven’  on  the  part  of  mere  children,  I  do  most  strenu¬ 
ously  maintain,  from  my  own  observation  and  experience, 
that  they  may  be  very  early  taught  to  know  that  there  is 
a  God  who  made  them,  who  supplies  all  their  wants, 
who  sees  all  their  actions,  who  is  acquainted  with  all 
their  thoughts,  who  is  pleased  with  them  when  they  do 
right,  and  who  is  offended  when  they  do  evil.  We  all 
know,  how  early  imaginary  fears  may  be  impressed  upon 
the  mind,  and  how  exceedingly  difficult  it  is  to  efface 
them,  even  when  they  are  disowned  by  the  growing  rea¬ 
son  of  succeeding  years.  In  many  cases,  the  highest 
powers  of  understanding,  and  the  most  profound  senti¬ 
ments  of  religion,  are  inadequate  to  remove  them.  The 
celebrated  Dr  Johnson,  one  of  the  greatest  ornaments  of 
English  literature,  who  labored  so  zealously  and  so  suc¬ 
cessfully  to  eradicate  moral  error  from  the  minds  of 
others,  was  himself,  to  the  latest  hour  of  his  existence,  a 


24 


IMPORTANCE  AND  METHOD 


58 


slave  to  the  superstitious  dread  of  apparitions !  How 
easy  and  how  salutary  a  task  must  it  then  be,  to  imbue 
the  mind  with  the  rational  and  filial  fear  of  God  —  a  fear 
which  grows  with  the  powers  of  the  understanding,  and 
increases  with  the  devout  affections  of  the  heart!  There 
is  certainly  no  other  sentiment,  in  the  entire  range  of 
virtuous  feelings,  calculated  to  be  so  powerfully  and  so 
permanently  influential  on  human  conduct,  as  a  reveren¬ 
tial  and  abiding  sense  of  the  constant  presence  and  pro¬ 
vidence  of  the  Supreme  Being.  Even  before  the  eyes 
of  their  fellow-mortals,  men  are  deterred  from  commit¬ 
ting  acts  of  indecency  and  criminality ;  and  surely,  if 
they  could  be  induced  seriously  to  consider,  that  the  eye 
of  Omniscience  is  the  perpetual  witness  of  all  their 
thoughts,  and  desires,  and  actions,  the  most  powerful 
barrier  would  be  erected  against  the  inroads  of  all  im¬ 
piety  and  immorality.  It  appears  to  be  upon  this  prin¬ 
ciple,  that  ‘  the  fear  of  the  Lord’  is  so  emphatically 
called  in  Scripture,  ‘  the  beginning  of  wisdom  ;  ’  and 
therefore  it  is  a  matter  of  the  highest  importance,  to  as¬ 
certain  in  what  manner  a  sentiment  so  valuable  may  be 
most  effectually  attained.  All  men  are  agreed  with  re¬ 
gard  to  the  period  of  life,  at  which  this  important  princi¬ 
ple  ought  to  be  inculcated.  ‘  Remember  thy  Creator  in 
the  days  of  thy  youth,’  is  a  precept  received  with  univer¬ 
sal  approbation.  But,  whilst  this  perfect  accordance  of 
opinion  exists  with  respect  to  the  paramount  importance  of 
endeavoring  to  infuse  principles  of  piety  into  the  human 
mind  at  a  very  early  period  of  existence,  there  is  by  no 
means  the  same  agreement  of  sentiment  as  to  the  best 
means  of  accomplishing  so  desirable  an  end.  I  shall 
not  occupy  time,  by  examining  the  various  opinions 


59  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION.  -5 

which  have  been  advanced  upon  this  subject,  but  con¬ 
tent  myself  with  explaining  a  very  simple  method,  which, 
from  experience,  I  would  recommend  as  efficacious  in 
raising  the  minds  and  the  affections,  even  of  very  young 
persons,  to  the  glorious  Author  of  all  good. 

It  may  be  safely  laid  down  as  an  incontrovertible  po¬ 
sition,  that  the  mere  use  of  words,  how  proper  soever 
in  themselves,  to  which  the  person  employing  them  at¬ 
taches  no  meaning,  can  never  have  the  smallest  influence, 
either  upon  the  heart  or  the  understanding  ;  and  I  think 
it  is  equally  evident,  that  no  external  form  or  ceremony, 
the  design  and  tendency  of  which  are  totally  incompre¬ 
hensible,  can  in  any  degree  accomplish  the  object  for 
which  it  was  instituted.  Let  us  apply  these  plain  prin¬ 
ciples  to  the  ordinary  method  of  inculcating  early  senti¬ 
ments  of  reverence  towards  the  Deity.  The  child  is 
compelled  to  kneel  down  at  its  mother’s  knee,  to  assume 
a  grave  countenance,  to  join  its  little  hands  in  form  of 
devotion,  to  repeat  words  of  which  it  no  more  compre¬ 
hends  the  meaning  than  if  they  were  Hebrew,  and  to  go 
through  an  irksome  ceremony,  from  day  to  day,  with  a 
listless  heart  and  an  uninterested  mind.  Is  it  any  won¬ 
der  that,  under  such  a  system,  the  poor  child  should  so 
often  cast  its  eyes  from  object  to  object,  or  that  it  should 
become  intolerably  drowsy,  or  that  it  should  manifest  in¬ 
numerable  symptoms  of  uneasiness,  whilst  it  repeats  a 
task  which  it  learned  with  no  feeling  but  that  of  pain  1 
Is  not  such  a  system,  I  would  ask,  eminently  calculated 
to  defeat  the  very  end  which  it  desires  to  promote,  and 
to  associate  the  service  of  God,  in  the  mind  of  the  child, 
with  feelings  directly  opposed  to  those  of  reverence  and 
devotion  ? 


VOL.  iv. — NO.  II. 


3 


26 


IMPORTANCE  AND  METHOD 


00 


Nor  is  it  a  less  injurious  plan,  when  children  are 
a  little  farther  advanced,  to  attempt  instructing  them 
in  the  general  principles  of  Christianity,  by  requiring 
them  to  commit,  as  an  irksome  task,  volumes  of  hymns 
and  books  of  scripture  —  in  which  drudgery  the  memory 
is,  almost  universally,  the  only  faculty  employed.  If  to 
this  we  add  the  consideration,  that  these  painful  exer¬ 
cises  are  usually  connected  with  the  Lord’s  day,  we  per¬ 
ceive  the  completion  of  a  system,  preeminently  adapted 
to  render  the  bible  anything  but  4  a  pleasure,’  and  the 
sabbath  anything  but  ‘  a  delight.’  Surely,  it  is  as  im¬ 
politic  as  it  is  unjust  to  make  religion  thus  appear  to  the 
youthful  mind,  as  if  it  were  unfriendly  to  happiness,  and 
to  connect  its  principles  and  ordinances  with  unprofitable 
labor  and  painful  sacrifices.  Such  a  mode  of  instruction 
has  a  natural  tendency  to  destroy  the  feelings  of  genuine 
piety,  to  produce  a  constrained  and  hypocritical  profession 
for  a  season,  and  to  terminate  in  eventual  infidelity.  I 
have  known  several  instances  of  such  a  melancholy  pro¬ 
gress,  in  the  children  of  sincerely  pious,  but  excessively 
rigid  parents.  This  circumstance  amply  proves,  how 
delicate  a  task  it  is  to  regulate  the  human  mind ;  to  pre¬ 
serve  the  proper  medium  between  a  criminal  neglect, 
which  would  permit  evil  propensities  to  grow  without 
control,  and  an  injudicious  severity  of  discipline,  that 
would  create  a  rebellious  impatience  of  restraint,  and  an 
insatiable  craving  for  the  cup  of  forbidden  pleasure.  I 
am  fully  persuaded,  that  such  a  happy  medium  can  only 
be  attained,  by  making  religious  education  an  affair  of  the 
heart  and  the  understanding,  instead  of  a  mere  matter 
of  words,  or  formal  profession,  or  abstract  theory. 


OV  RELIGIOUS  education. 


27 


1  would  therefore  teach  the  first  lessons  of  piety  to  the 
young,  in  the  fair  and  glorious  book  of  Nature.  I  would 
lead  them  through  the  cultivated  fields,  and  the  pleasant 
pastures,  and  the  flowery  meadows,  and  the  leafy  groves. 
When  the  husbandman  casts  his  seed  into  the  bosom  of 
the  earth,  when  the  green  blade  springs  forth,  and  when 
the  ripe  ear  yields  abundance,  I  would  show  them  the 
providence  of  God,  in  the  mode  of  supplying  their  daily 
wants.  When  they  listened  with  joy  to  the  music  of  the 
groves,  when  they  looked  with  delight  on  the  peaceful 
cattle  feeding  upon  the  green  pastures,  when  they  re¬ 
marked  the  industry  of  the  bee,  or  the  sportive  fluttering 
of  the  butterfly,  or  the  happiness  of  the  myriads  of  beings 
that  were  enjoying  existence  in  the  air,  in  the  waters,  or 
upon  the  earth,  I  would  lead  them  to  consider  the  infinite 
goodness  of  God,  in  the  diffusion  of  such  unbounded  en¬ 
joyment.  In  the  refreshing  breeze,  the  reviving  shower, 
and  the  animating  sun  ;  in  the  formation  of  every  tree, 
and  plant,  and  flower,  as  well  as  of  every  animated  being, 
I  would  lead  them  to  admire  the  transcendent  wisdom  of 
their  Creator.  And  when  the  dews  of  evening  should 
begin  to  fall,  when  they  were  returning  to  their  peaceful 
homes  with  invigorated  bodies  and  joyous  spirits,  I  would 
point  to  the  fair  moon,  rising  in  tranquil  beauty,  and  to 
one  star  after  another,  appearing  in  the  glorious  firma¬ 
ment  of  heaven  ;  and  I  would  lead  them  to  reverence  the 
power  and  majesty  of  Him,  who  had  formed  all  the  starry 
worlds  which  they  beheld,  and  who  had,  no  doubt,  also 
peopled  them  with  inhabitants !  At  the  season  of  refresh¬ 
ment  I  would  remind  them,  by  the  devout  expression  of 
my  own  gratitude,  and  by  recalling  to  their  recollection 
what  they  had  themselves  witnessed,  to  whom  they  were 


23 


IMPORTANCE  AND  METHOD 


62 


indebted  for  all  their  comforts  and  blessings.  When  the 
hour  of  repose  drew  near,  I  would  kneel  down  in  the 
midst  of  my  children,  as  every  Christian  parent  is  bound 
to  do  ;  I  would  praise  my  Creator  for  all  his  mercies, 
supplicate  a  continuation  of  his  bounties,  and  fervently 
implore  him  to  bless  my  little  ones.  And  when  they  af¬ 
terwards  addressed  their  ‘  Father  in  Heaven’  in  personal 
prayer,  before  retiring  to  rest,  they  would  no  longer  offer 
a  heartless  and  a  mindless  service ;  they  would  know 
whom  they  worshipped,  and  feel  why  they  ought  to  be 
grateful.  Thus,  might  the  hearts  of  the  young  become 
truly  interested  in  the  cause  of  religion,  and  imbued  with 
the  sacred  odour  of  piety,  which  would  ever  retain  its 
freshness,  although  they  should  be  broken  by  the  shocks 
of  misfortune,  or  withered  by  the  winter  of  age. 

I  know  it  may  be  said  by  many,  that  what  I  have  been 
advancing  is  all  visionary  and  theoretical  ;  but  I  am  not 
afraid  of  its  being  so  considered  by  the  wise  and  the  ex¬ 
perienced,  who  have  carefully  studied  human  nature,  and 
observed  the  progress  of  the  human  mind.  Children 
think  much  sooner,  and  much  more  accurately,  than  most 
persons  imagine.  Indeed,  fond  and  partial  parents  are 
always  sensible  of  this  in  their  own  offspring.  They  are 
quite  delighted  with  their  shrewd  remarks,  and  often  as¬ 
tonished  and  puzzled  by  their  curious  questions  ;  but  they 
take  it  for  granted  that  these  are  only  indications  of  ex¬ 
traordinary  talents  in  their  own  children,  and  that  all 
others  are  comparatively  ignorant  and  uninteresting. 
This,  however,  is  a  mere  error  of  parental  partiality ;  for 
the  mass  of  other  children  are  fully  equal  to  their  own  ; 
and  all  are  much  more,  and  much  earlier  the  objects  of 
religious  and  moral  culture  than  is  generally  believed. 


€3  OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION.  29 

Their  ignorance  of  language  is  the  principal  barrier  in 
the  way  of  their  instruction.  They  are  often  unable  to 
find  words  to  explain  their  own  ideas,  and  we  have  usually 
as  much  difficulty  in  selecting  terms  suited  to  give  them 
a  proper  conception  of  ours.  Yet,  it  is  wonderful,  how 
much  knowledge,  especially  with  regard  to  external  ob¬ 
jects,  they  may  acquire,  under  moderately  judicious 
treatment,  where  affection  never  loses  patience  in  conse¬ 
quence  of  their  unceasing  interrogatories,  and  where  a 
sound  discretion  adapts  the  language  of  explanation  to 
the  extent  of  their  capacities.  No  more  fatal  mistake 
could  be  made  in  the  treatment  of  children,  than  repress¬ 
ing  their  curiosity  by  refusing  to  answer  their  questions. 
An  inquisitive  disposition  ought  to  be  particularly  en¬ 
couraged,  as  it  opens  the  most  favorable  inlet  for  knowl¬ 
edge  at  a  very  early  period  of  life.  The  information 
which  a  child  desires  to  obtain  always  affords  it  pleasure, 
and  usually  makes  a  permanent  impression  upon  its  mind  ; 
whilst,  on  the  contrary,  knowledge  which  is  pressed 
upon  it  by  others  is  generally  received  with  indifference, 
and  soon  passes  away.  Many  questions  put  by  children 
may  be  trifling,  many  absurd,  and  many  difficult  to  be 
answered  ;  but  the  very  reply  of  a  judicious  parent  to  a 
frivolous  interrogatory  may  be  so  framed,  as  to  correct  an 
error  of  judgment,  and  the  most  difficult  question  should 
receive  an  answer,  if  possible  ;  or,  at  the  very  least,  a 
satisfactory  reason  should  be  assigned  for  refusing  a  reply. 
In  everything  connected  with  religious  principles  and 
impressions,  it  is  peculiarly  important  that  this  course 
should  be  pursued.  If  a  child  inquire,  (and  what  child 
does  not  ?)  who  made  the  sun,  and  the  moon,  and  the 
stars  —  who  formed  the  mountains,  and  the  rivers,  and 

3  * 


VOL.  IV.  -  NO.  II. 


30 


IMPORTANCE  AND  METHOD 


64 


the  beasts  of  the  field  —  who  created  himself,  and  his 
parents,  and  all  other  human  beings  —  would  it  not  be 
the  utmost  fatuity,  to  omit  so  favorable  an  opportunity  of 
inculcating  the  first  and  most  influential  principle  of  all 
religion  —  the  existence,  the  power,  and  the  providence 
of  God  ?  That  this  great  principle  may  be  inculcated, 
and  that  an  abiding  conviction  of  the  constant  presence 
of  the  Deity  may  be  impressed  upon  the  mind,  at  a  very 
early  period  of  life,  I  do  aver  from  experience  ;  and  in 
this  sentiment,  I  am  convinced  I  shall  have  the  concur¬ 
rence  of  every  judicious  parent,  and  of  every  man  who 
has  attentively  considered  the  tendencies  of  human  nature. 

This  habitual  reverence  of  the  Supreme  Being  will 
be  materially  strengthened  in  the  minds  of  the  young, 
by  conducting  them  regularly  to  the  public  services  of 
religion,  and  thus  associating  all  their  previous  senti¬ 
ments  of  piety  with  the  hallowed  solemnities  of  the 
sanctuary,  and  the  deliberate  approbation  of  the  wise 
and  good.  Parents,  who  neglect  the  prirate  and  public 
duties  of  the  Lord's  day,  who  spend  it  in  drowsy  in¬ 
difference,  or  degrade  it  into  a  season  of  worldly  occu¬ 
pation  or  vain  amusement,  cannot  expect  that  the  love 
and  fear  of  God  should  be  established  in  the  hearts  of 
their  children.  These  essential  principles  of  piety,  these 
surest  foundations  of  moral  respectability,  are  never  to  be 
found  in  the  lukewarm  and  careless  spirit;  and  what  the 
father  possesses  not  in  himself,  he  cannot  communicate 
to  his  son.  For  my  own  part,  I  have  almost  universally 
observed,  that  the  decay  of  vital  religion,  in  individuals 
and  families,  has  exactly  kept  pace  with  their  neglect  of 
religious  institutions.  This  is  peculiarly  true  with  re¬ 
gard  to  the  young,  who  have  no  counterpoise  for  their 


65 


OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION. 


31 


thoughtlessness  and  folly,  save  what  is  to  be  found  in  the 
habitual  reverence  of  God.  Christian  parents,  therefore 
who  omit  to  lead  their  children  to  the  sanctuary,  neglect 
to  furnish  them  with  the  most  powerful  defence  against 
all  the  trials  and  all  the  temptations  of  the  world. 

The  reading  of  the  holy  scriptures  is  another  most 
effectual  means  of  promoting  a  religious  and  moral  edu¬ 
cation.  They  contain  the  charter  of  our  salvation,  the 
grounds  of  our  duty,  the  objects  of  our  faith,  and  the  an¬ 
chor  of  our  hopes.  They  are  a  treasure  of  inestimable 
value  to  all,  but  especially  to  the  young,  who  most  require 
the  instruction  of  divine  wisdom.  Without  a  knowledge 
of  the  sacred  records  all  education  must  be  defective. 
But,  whilst  ‘  all  scripture,  given  by  inspiration  of  God,  is 
profitable  for  doctrine,  for  reproof,  for  correction,  and  for 
instruction  in  righteousness,’  the  moral  law,  the  prophe¬ 
cies,  and  the  devotional  parts  of  the  Old  Testament,  with 
the  whole  of  the  Christian  revelation,  are  peculiarly  adapt¬ 
ed  for  the  edification  of  the  young.  I  do  not  say,  that 
every  part  of  the  divine  word  is  not  calculated  to  afford 
salutary  instruction  to  minds  which  are  prepared  to  re¬ 
ceive  it ;  but,  in  the  ceremonial  law  and  the  historical 
books  of  the  Old  Testament  there  are  several  things 
which  appear  to  me  but  little  suited  to  the  capacities  and 
feelings  of  youth.  These  I  would  leave  for  the  consider¬ 
ation  of  riper  years,  and  direct  the  mind  principally  to 
the  dispensation  of  4  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  grace  of 
God.’  Nor  would  I  impose  even  this  as  an  irksome  task 
and  fatiguing  drudgery.  I  would  not  insist  upon  chil¬ 
dren’s  committing  large  portions  of  the  New  Testament 
to  memory,  lest  I  should  create  disgust  and  aversion, 
where  I  only  desire  to  promote  admiration  and  respect. 


32 


IMPORTANCE  AND  METHOD 


66 


The  injudicious  system  of  enforcing  a  literal  repetition  of 
scripture,  as  a  regular  school-task,  and  sometimes  as  a 
penalty  for  idleness  or  misconduct,  is  pre-eminently  cal¬ 
culated  to  destroy  the  very  rudiments  of  piety  in  the 
human  heart.  This  mischievous  error  has  arisen  from 
a  misconception  of  the  true  nature  of  religion  :  from 
making  it  a  concern  merely  of  words  and  ideas,  whereas 
in  reality  it  is  especially  an  affair  of  the  affections;  for 
‘  it  is  the  heart  which  God  requires.’  I  would  not  thus  at¬ 
tempt  to  instruct  the  young  in  a  knowledge  of  the  sacred 
volume ;  but,  when  they  had  previously  considered  and 
read  a  certain  portion,  I  would  question  them  with  regard 
to  its  contents,  and  thus  move  onward  in  regular  succes¬ 
sion,  with  frequent  reference  to  previous  information,  until 
the  substance  of  the  gospel  should  be  engraven  on  their 
minds,  and  the  spirit  of  the  gospel  infused  into  their 
hearts.  Knowledge  and  feelings  thus  acquired  would 
not  vanish,  like  mere  impressions  of  the  memory,  but 
would  permanently  remain  as  the  guides  and  consolations 
of  life,  associated  in  the  mind  with  pleasurable  recollec¬ 
tions.  Besides,  young  persons  educated  on  such  a  system 
would  generally  be  steady  in  their  religious  principles. 
Having  once  drunk  ‘the  waters  of  life’  from  the  pure 
fountain  of  the  divine  word,  they  could  scarcely  turn  to 
the  polluted  streams  of  human  invention  in  after  years. 

As  ‘  the  chief  corner  stone  ’  of  a  religious  education, 
the  minds  of  the  young  should  be  very  frequently  direct¬ 
ed  towards  our  blessed  Saviour.  They  may  not  be  able 
to  appreciate  all  his  labors  of  love,  to  understand  all  his 
divine  instructions,  to  comprehend  all  the  gracious  pur¬ 
poses  of  his  death,  and  resurrection,  and  mediation ;  but 
I  know  that,  at  a  very  early  age,  they  may  become  truly 


67 


OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION. 


03 


interested  in  his  character  and  sufferings.  I  have  seen 
the  cheeks  of  an  intelligent  child  suffused  with  tears, 
whilst  reading  the  indignities  of  the  judgment-hall,  and 
the  awful  sufferings  of  Calvary.  And,  when  the  heart 
is  thus  impressed,  every  word  from  the  lips  of  the  gracious 
Being,  who  has  become  such  an  object  of  affectionate  in¬ 
terest,  is  received  with  reverence  and  respect. 

In  the  important  work  of  early  religious  instruction 
parents  must  necessarily  be  the  principal  agents ;  but 
their  labors  acquire  an  additional  efficacy,  when  they  are 
aided  by  the  ministers  of  the  gospel.  In  the  estimation 
of  the  young,  there  is  always  a  sacredness  attached  to 
the  ministerial  character,  which  gives  weight  and  energy 
to  instruction  *  and  I  am  fully  persuaded  that  the  faith¬ 
ful  servant  of  Christ  does  not  occupy  so  high  a  station  of 
usefulness,  even  whilst  he  is^  delivering  the  holiest  truths 
from  the  pulpit,  as  when  he  is  engaged  in  the  humble 
task  of  impressing  lessons  of  wisdom  and  virtue  upon  the 
youthful  mind.  By  such  unostentatious  labors  he  con¬ 
ciliates  affection,  prepares  the  soil  for  the  good  seed 
which  he  is  afterwards  to  sowT,  and,  independently  of  all 
higher  considerations,  secures  an  abundant  harvest  of 
respect  and  honor  for  his  coming  years.  He  may  devote 
his  mind  to  study,  he  may  acquire  the  reputation  of  learn¬ 
ing,  or  piety,  or  eloquence,  and  he  may  become  an  emi¬ 
nent  preacher  of  righteousness;  but,  at  the  close  of  his 
mortal  career,  he  will  assuredly  look  back  upon  the 
peaceful  hours,  which  he  dedicated  to  the  familiar  instruc¬ 
tion  of  the  young,  as  by  far  the  most  profitable  of  his 
whole  existence.  A  minister  of  the  gospel  who  neglects 
this  sacred  duty,  though  he  possessed  the  eloquence  and 
the  knowledge  of  a  Paul,  is  still  ‘but  as  sounding  brass., 


34  IMPORTANCE  AND  METHOD  68 

or  a  tinkling  cymbal.’  He  leaves  the  parents  without  en¬ 
couragement  or  assistance,  the  children  without  know¬ 
ledge,  or  motives  to  acquire  it ;  and  even  his  religious 
opinions,  of  which  he  boasts  as  having  the  peculiar  sanc¬ 
tion  of  truth,  depend  entirely  for  their  extension  upon 
the  operations  of  chance,  or  the  formal  harangues  of  the 
pulpit.  The  work  of  the  Lord  cannot  prosper  in  such 
hands ;  the  canker-worm  of  indifference  must  gradually 
consume  the  very  vitals  of  religion  ;  and  those,  who  com¬ 
mence  the  career  of  life  without  religious  principles,  will 
almost  invariably  continue  it  without  moral  practice. 
The  ministers  of  the  gospel,  therefore,  are  peculiarly 
bound,  by  the  most  sacred  and  awful  responsibility,  to 
watch  over  the  education  of  the  rising  generation  ;  to  aid 
and  encourage  parents  in  the  diligent  discharge  of  their 
arduous  duties  ;  and  to  diffuse  around  them  the  invalua¬ 
ble  blessings  of  an  early  piety. 

Religious  sentiments,  however,  ought  never  to  be  in¬ 
culcated  as  mere  abstract  principles.  They  should  be 
constantly  associated  in  the  mind  with  moral  feelings, 
and  the  active  discharge  of  moral  duties.  Wanting  this 
connexion,  they  are  as  a  tree  without  fruit.  The  guar¬ 
dians  of  the  young,  therefore,  should  constantly  labor  to 
associate  the  filial  fear  of  God  with  a  reverence  for  his 
commandments,  and  the  love  of  the  Saviour  with  good¬ 
will  towards  mankind.  The  important  relative  duties  of 
integrity  and  truth,  of  generosity  and  kindness,  of  for¬ 
giveness  and  charity,  ought  to  be  enforced  as  the  very 
end  and  essence  of  true  religion.  Above  all  things, 
the  prevalent  and  degrading  vice  of  falsehood  should  be 
carefully  repressed,  as  offensive  to  God,  destructive  to 
the  peace  of  society,  and  disgraceful  to  themselves.  No 


69 


OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION. 


35 


exertion,  no  vigilance,  on  the  part  of  parents,  can  be  too 
great  to  secure  an  inward  love  and  habitual  observance 
of  truth.  Where  this  great  virtue  is  wanting,  all  other 
honorable  principles  must  be  deficient  ;  and  wherever  it 
is  to  be  found,  wre  may  confidently  look  for  its  natural 
attendants,  integrity  and  benevolence.  Kind  and  con¬ 
siderate  treatment  is  always  the  most  likely  to  secure 
the  interests  of  truth ;  for  I  am  persuaded  that  all  false¬ 
hood  has  its  origin  in  fear  —  the  fear  of  punishment,  or 
disapprobation.  I  would,  therefore,  pardon  almost  any 
folly  or  offence,  not  involving  gross  impiety  or  moral  tur¬ 
pitude,  in  order  to  secure  a  habit  of  candor  and  veracity. 

Next  to  the  social  virtues,  those  of  a  more  immediately 
personal  character  may  be  very  early  inculcated  ;  and 
upon  these  a  large  portion  of  human  happiness  neces¬ 
sarily  depends.  No  period  of  life,  above  mere  infancy, 
is  too  early  for  teaching  self-denial  and  patience  of  con¬ 
trol.  Thousands  of  the  hot  and  ungovernable  spirits, 
that  have  brought  sorrow  upon  themselves,  and  inflicted 
miseries  upon  others,  owe  their  misfortunes  and  their 
crimes  to  uncorrected  passions,  and  unsubdued  peevish¬ 
ness  of  temper,  in  the  very  earliest  stages  of  existence. 
The  same  wisdom  of  experience,  which  prevents  a  child 
from  thrusting  its  hand  a  second  time  into  a  flame, 
would,  under  proper  management,  prevent  it  from  in¬ 
dulging  in  violent  bursts  of  passion.  And  I  am  per¬ 
suaded,  (for  I  have  witnessed  the  fact,)  that  children 
might  be  almost  as  easily  taught  to  refrain  from  tasting 
forbidden  sweets  by  a  salutary  fear  of  incurring  displea¬ 
sure,  as  to  avoid  the  repetition  of  actions  accompanied 
by  personal  suffering. 


36 


IMPORTANCE  AND  METHOD 


70 

But  it  may  be  inquired  —  if  it  be  so  easy  a  task  to  teach 
those  early  lessons  of  piety,  morality,  and  self-restraint, 
why  are  not  young  persons  universally  trained  up  in  such 
salutary  habits?  I  answer  —  because  some  parents  are 
criminally  negligent,  others  injudiciously  rigorous,  many 
culpably  indulgent,  and  almost  all  mistaken  with  regard 
to  what  ought  to  be  the  grand  objects  of  human  pur¬ 
suits. 

It  is  much  to  be  lamented,  that  many  persons,  in  all 
ranks  of  society,  are  criminally  indifferent  with  respect 
to  the  principles  and  education  of  their  children.  This, 
however,  is  especially  the  case  at  the  two  extremes  of  the 
social  scale.  The  lowest  classes,  fatigued  with  daily 
toil,  harassed  with  returning  wants,  destitute  of  all  the 
nobler  aspirings  of  nature,  and  too  frequently  ignorant  of 
the  inestimable  advantages  of  religious  and  moral  culture, 
are  contented  if  they  can  supply  their  children  with  the 
coarsest  fare  and  scanty  raiment.  They  have  never 
themselves  risen  above  the  station  in  which  they  were 
born  ;  they  anticipate  no  higher  destiny  for  their  chil¬ 
dren  ;  and  they  do  not  imagine  that  any  very  extensive 
endowments,  either  intellectual  or  moral,  are  necessary 
to  the  success  of  mere  manual  industry.  Such  persons 
are  much  more  the  objects  of  compassion  than  of  censure  , 
but  the  same  palliation  cannot  be  offered  for  the  conduct 
of  those  in  the  other  extreme  of  society,  who  are  too  often 
equally  neglectful.  Occupied  with  the  enjoyments  or 
the  vanities  of  life,  they  too  frequently  commit  the  entire 
care  of  their  offspring  to  mercenary  hands;  they  are  con¬ 
tent  with  occasional  reports  of  their  progress,  and  rest 
satisfied  that  all  must  be  well,  when  they  are  passing 
through  the  ordinary  routine  of  fashionable  education. 


71 


OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION. 


37 


The  minds  of  their  children  may  remain  a  comparative 
blank,  whilst  their  hearts  are  over-run  with  the  rank 
weeds  of  irreligion  and  vice  ;  and  thus,  those  who  are 
to  influence  the  destinies  of  thousands  are,  not  unfre- 
quently,  amongst  the  worst  educated  men  in  the  commu¬ 
nity.  Honorable  exceptions  to  this  statement,  I  am  well 
aware,  may  easily  be  found,  where  persons  of  the  high¬ 
est  rank  are  remarkably  distinguished  for  their  parental 
fidelity ;  but  these  exceptions  are  not  of  ordinary  occur¬ 
rence,  and  cannot  invalidate  the  general  rule. 

Excessive  rigor  and  injudicious  severity  on  the  part 
of  parents  are  less  common,  but  not  less  certain  sources 
of  irreligious  feeling  and  immoral  practice.  Whilst  some 
persons  are  so  weakly  affectionate  as  to  perceive  no  fail¬ 
ings  in  their  children,  others  are  so  unnaturally  harsh 
as  to  see  nothing  but  imperfections.  Influenced  by  an 
overweening  vanity,  they  desire  to  see  their  children 
superior  to  all  others,  and  are  therefore  subjected  to  in¬ 
cessant  chagrin.  Disappointed  in  their  talents,  discon¬ 
tented  with  their  progress,  and  irritated  because  they 
want  the  polish  of  the  world  and  the  steadiness  of  age, 
they  cast  the  blame  of  their  own  absurd  mortification 
upon  their  unoffending  offspring.  With  a  wild  impa¬ 
tience  and  tyranny,  they  demand  exertions  beyond  their 
strength,  expect  a  gravity  beyond  their  years,  refuse  the 
most  salutary  indulgences,  and,  if  they  happen  to  be  what 
is  termed  religious,  exact  a  formality  of  devotion  equally 
unnatural  and  absurd.  The  inevitable  result  of  such  a 
system  is,  that  their  children  view  them  with  terror  in¬ 
stead  of  affection,  hate  those  studies  which  are  the  per¬ 
petual  sources  of  sorrow,  endeavor  to  deceive  those 
whom  they  cannot  propitiate,  and  turn  hypocrites  in  re- 

4 


VOL.  IV. 


NO.  II. 


38 


IMPORTANCE  AND  METHOD 


72 


ligion  to  avoid  the  penalty  of  sincerity.  The  perverted 
ingenuity  of  man  could  devise  no  plan  of  education  more 
destructive  of  all  piety  and  morality.  The  moment  that 
a  young  person  so  educated  is  set  free  from  the  fetters 
with  which  he  has  been  bound,  and  escapes  from  the 
unnatural  tyranny  by  which  he  has  been  enslaved,  he  is 
prepared  to  give  the  reins  to  every  passion,  and  to  cast  all 
religious  and  mor  restraint  to  the  winds. 

It  must  be  admitted,  however,  that  culpable  indulgence 
is  a  much  more  prevalent  source  of  erroneous  education, 
than  that  which  I  have  just  described.  The  natural,  the 
laudable  desire  of  the  parental  heart  is,  to  confer  happi¬ 
ness.  Youth  requires  indulgence,  and  it  would  be  equal¬ 
ly  barbarous  and  unwise  to  refuse  it.  Judicious  kind¬ 
ness  is  the  best  instrument  of  human  instruction  ;  it  calls 
forth  all  the  native  tendencies  of  the  heart ;  nothing  is 
hidden  from  the  eye  of  affection.  The  entire  character 
lies  open  to  inspection  ;  so  that  every  virtuous  tendency 
may  be  encouraged,  and  every  vicious  propensity  re¬ 
strained.  To  parental  indulgence,  therefore,  I  would 
prescribe  no  limits  but  those  which  would  render  it  truly 
conducive  to  the  happiness  of  its  object.  Now  let  it  be 
considered,  that  in  making  a  due  estimate  of  happiness 
we  must  view  the  whole  course  of  human  life.  We 
should  never  call  that  conducive  to  a  man’s  happiness, 
which  afforded  him  the  enjoyment  of  a  day  at  the  heavy 
cost  of  miserable  years.  Upon  this  principle,  the  gratifi¬ 
cation  of  every  appetite  and  desire  on  the  part  of  the 
young,  is  but  a  wretched  preparation  for  the  vicissitudes 
of  the  world.  In  the  busy  haunts  of  men,  every  hand 
will  not  bring  supplies  like  that  of  a  gentle  mother,  nor 
every  voice  speak  kindness  like  that  of  an  indulgent 


73 


OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION. 


39 


father.  The  unfortunate  being,  whose  will  has  never 
been  controlled,  whose  passions  have  never  been  re¬ 
strained,  is  but  ill  suited  for  the  conflicts  of  this  self¬ 
ish  and  bustling  scene.  I  shall  go  farther,  however, 
and  say,  that  even  in  youth  such  an  individual  is  never 
happy.  I  have  always  looked  upon  the  poor  child  as  an 
object  of  compassion,  whose  craving  desires  were  most 
freely  gratified.  The  wealth  of  the  Indies,  and  all  the 
ingenuity  of  man,  could  not  supply  its  increasing  de¬ 
mands.  After  exhausting  all  possible  sources  of  gratifi¬ 
cation,  its  imagination  would  become  its  tormentor  ;  and 
the  object  of  ten  thousand  indulgences  would  be  only  a 
peevish  and  miserable  creature.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
child,  whose  unreasonable  desires  have  been  restrained, 
whose  temper  and  passions  have  been  subdued,  to  whom 
indulgence  has  been  sometimes  extended  and  sometimes 
refused,  is  uniformly  cheerful  and  contented  ;  a  gratifica¬ 
tion  withheld  inflicts  no  pain,  a  favor  conferred  communi¬ 
cates  real  pleasure.  It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  a  mind 
which  has  been  weakened,  and  a  heart  which  has  been 
perverted  by  excessive  indulgence,  never  can  become  the 
seat  of  manly  thought,  or  generous  sentiment. 

To  all  other  causes  which  impede  the  progress  of  a 
salutary  education,  may  be  added  the  mistaken  estimate, 
too  generally  formed,  of  what  ought  to  be  the  grand  ob¬ 
jects  of  human  pursuit.  I  do  not  say,  that  upon  this  sub¬ 
ject  men  make  any  serious  mistake  in  theory,  or  in 
words,  or  in  profession  ;  all  admit,  that  piety  and  virtue 
should  be  the  primary  objects  of  human  desire.  But 
what  say  their  actions  1  Is  it  to  the  attainment  of  these 
that  they  principally  direct  the  education  of  their  chil¬ 
dren  ?  On  the  contrary,  have  not  all  their  exertions  an 


40 


IMPORTANCE  AND  METHOD 


74 


undivided  view  to  the  interests  and  enjoyments  of  the 
world  ?  What  efforts  are  constantly  made,  with  respect 
to  mere  temporal  instruction,  to  manners,  to  accomplish¬ 
ments,  and  to  placing  them  on  the  road  of  fortune  and 
reputation !  These,  I  admit,  are  all  desirable,  but  they 
should  not  be  the  chief  objects  sought  for  in  education. 
We  are  expressly  commanded  by  our  blessed  Lord,  ‘  to 
seek  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his  righteousness,’  un¬ 
der  the  sacred  assurance,  that  if  we  do  so,  1  all  other 
necessary  good  things  will  be  added  unto  us.’  I  shall, 
therefore,  bring  this  discourse  to  a  conclusion,  by  ad¬ 
dressing  a  plain  and  brief  exhortation  to  parents  upon 
the  important  subject  of  their  relative  duties. 

Christian  parents,  I  address  myself  to  you,  most 
earnestly  beseeching  you  to  remember  the  awful  re¬ 
sponsibility  of  the  parental  character.  The  interests  of 
time  and  of  eternity  hang  upon  your  conduct.  The 
children  whom  God  has  given  you  are  the  most  sacred 
and  valuable  trust,  which  he  could  have  committed  to 
your  care.  With  their  lot  your  own  is  likewise  cast. 
Should  they,  through  your  virtuous  exertions,  as  the 
humble  instruments  of  the  grace  of  God,  c  be  raised  to 
glory,  and  honor,  and  eternal  life,’  you  also  (  shall 
have  your  crown  of  rejoicing  but  if,  through  your  ne¬ 
glect  or  criminality,  they  should  go  down  to  sorrow, 

‘  then  will  their  blood  be  required  at  your  hands  !  ’  O, 
my  fellow  Christians,  what  an  awful  consideration  is 
this  !  You  would  stand  at  the  bed  of  their  earthly  suf¬ 
fering  with  afflicted  hearts,  and  mourn  even  under  the 
dispensation  of  Providence  ; — with  what  feelings,  then, 
would  you  contemplate  the  misery  of  their  immortal 
souls,  and  look  upon  yourselves  as  the  guilty  cause  of 


75 


OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION. 


41 


all  their  sorrows  !  1  beseech  you,  brethren,  by  all  the 

promises  and  all  the  threatenings  of  the  divine  word, 
to  address  yourselves  diligently  to  the  transcendently 
important  duties  of  your  station.  In  so  sacred  a  cause 
indifference  is  crime.  Let  not  their  minds  and  their 
hearts  remain  without  instruction  ;  but  whilst  you  in¬ 
culcate  the  sublime  principles  of  the  gospel,  let  religion 
appear  to  them  in  all  her  native  loveliness,  as  a  gra¬ 
cious  angel  of  purity  and  peace.  Let  no  harshness  of 
language,  no  austerity  of  manner,  no  unnatural  exac¬ 
tions  on  your  part,  lead  them  to  look  upon  piety  as  un¬ 
friendly  to  their  happiness.  Show  them  rather,  that 
religion  checks  no  decent  joy,  forbids  no  innocent  plea¬ 
sure.  Make  it  your  rational  and  delightful  task, 

‘  To  try  each  art,  reprove  each  fond  delay, 

Allure  to  brighter  worlds,  and  lead  the  way.’ 

But,  whilst  you  manifest  your  Christian  spirit  and 
temper  by  all  becoming  acts  of  reasonable  kindness,, 
never  forget  that  religion  gives  no  sanction  to  those 
criminal  indulgences,  which  corrupt  the  heart  and  de¬ 
grade  the  character.  It  is  natural,  it  is  laudable,  it  is 
useful  to  be  indulgent  ;  it  is  even  right,  perhaps,  not  to 
appear  to  observe  trifling  faults  and  follies,  involving  no 
depravity  of  principle,  and  leading  to  no  injurious  re¬ 
sults;  but,  wherever  the  gratification  of  an  appetite  or 
a  desire  might  lead,  even  in  its  remote  consequences,, 
to  destructive  habits  or  immoral  actions,  the  firmest 
resistance  should  be  maintained.  It  is  chiefly  from 
mothers,  that  undue  indulgence  is  to  be  apprehended. 
Beneficently  gifted  by  the  Deity  with  a  stronger  portion 
of  natural  affection,  to  sustain  them  in  the  discharge  of 

VOL.  IV.  —  no.  ii.  4  * 


42  IMPORTANCE  AND  METHOD  76 

the  irksome  and  important  duties  which  devolve  upon 
them,  they  can  scarcely  be  blamed  for  an  excess  of 
tenderness  ;  although  it  is  our  bounden  duty  to  warn 
them  of  its  consequences.  I  would  ask,  then,  any 
Christian  mother,  why  she  often  withholds  correction, 
which  she  believes  to  be  necessary,  and  indulges  with 
gratifications,  which  she  knows  to  be  injurious  ?  Her 
probable  answer  would  be  —  that  she  cannot  bear  the 
idea  of  inflicting  pain  upon  a  creature  that  is  so  dear 
to  her  heart  !  But,  were  her  child  laboring  under  a 
dangerous  disease,  would  she  not  administer  the  most 
nauseous  medicine,  or  subject  it  to  the  most  painful  op¬ 
eration,  in  order  to  restore  it  to  health  and  soundness? 
Or,  suppose  that  it  clamored  for  some  sweet,  that  was 
mingled  with  a  deadly  poison,  would  she  gratify  its 
palate  at  the  expense  of  its  life?  No;  in  such  cases, 
she  would  not  only  judge  correctly,  but  also  act  rightly. 
And  is  the  case  less  urgent  or  less  important,  because 
her  child  only  labors  under  a  moral  distemper,  or  be¬ 
cause  he  only  desires  to  enjoy  a  momentary  gratification, 
which  will  poison  his  mind  and  corrupt  his  heart?  Sure¬ 
ly,  every  argument,  which  would  influence  her  in  the 
instance  of  bodily  suffering,  or  the  refusal  of  the  poison¬ 
ed  dainty,  ought  to  have  a  thousand  fold  the  force  in 
the  case  of  moral  disease,  or  moral  contagion.  Just  in 
proportion  to  the  difference  between  body  and  soul, 
time  and  eternity,  should  be  her  serious  estimate  of  her 
maternal  duty.  Never  ought  she  to  shrink,  in  destruc¬ 
tive  weakness,  from  a  prompt  obedience  to  the  command 
of  scripture:  c  Withhold  not  correction  from  thy  child; 
if  thou  beatest  him  with  a  rod  he  will  not  die,  and  thou 
mayest  thereby  deliver  his  soul  from  destruction.’  The 


77 


OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION. 


43 


pain  of  a  moment  may  save  him  from  years  of  suffer¬ 
ing;  and  the  unwarrantable  indulgence  of  an  hour  may 
be  followed  by  ages  of  remorse! 

The  malignity  of  a  demon  could  devise  no  system 
more  destructive  to  virtue  and  happiness,  than  one  often 
generated  in  the  fond  heart  of  a  mother  ;  I  refer  to  the 
deeply  culpable  practice  of  concealing  the  offences  of 
children  from  the  knowledge  of  their  fathers,  and  the 
still  more  criminal  custom  of  supplying  them  in  secret 
with  the  means  of  frivolous  or  sensual  gratification. 
Were  a  mother  to  place  a  dagger  in  the  hands  of  her 
son,  to  be  turned  against  his  own  breast,  she  would  be 
arming  him  with  a  much  less  dangerous  weapon,  than  a 
supply  of  money  for  purposes  of  riot  and  debauchery. 
By  such  disastrous  means,  millions  of  young  persons 
have  been  overwhelmed  with  destruction.  And  yet, 
unfortunate  mothers,  who  practise  these  things,  often 
complain  of  the  ingratitude  of  their  children,  and  won¬ 
der  that  they  do  not  love  them  more,  and  respect  them 
more!  Now,  the  only  wonder  to  me  is,  that  such 
mothers  should  expect  any  return  of  gratitude  or  affec¬ 
tion.  After  having  corrupted  their  children  from  in¬ 
fancy  by  ruinous  indulgence;  after  having  taught 
them  hypocrisy  and  fraud  by  their  own  example;  after 
having  put  the  poisoned  cup  of  sensuality  and  crime 
into  their  very  hands  —  it  would  be  amazing,  if  they  en¬ 
tertained  towards  them  any  other  sentiments  than  those 
of  contempt  and  aversion.  The  very  indulgences,  upon 
which  they  rest  as  a  ground  of  affection,  have  destroyed 
all  the  native  and  amiable  sensibilities  of  the  heart.  I 
do  not  recollect  having  seen,  in  the  whole  course  of  my 
life,  a  weakly  and  indiscriminately  indulgent  mother,  sin- 


44 


IMPORTANCE  AND  METHOD 


78 


cerely  respected  and  beloved  by  her  children;  but  I 
have  known  many,  who  have  been  repaid  for  their  inju¬ 
dicious  kindness  by  heart-rending  neglect  or  insult. 
The  firm  and  prudent  mother  alone,  who  has  the  good 
sense  to  unite  general  kindness  with  occasional  and  sal¬ 
utary  restraint,  becomes  an  object  of  permanent  re¬ 
spect  and  affection.  Her  tenderness  is  justly  appreci¬ 
ated,  because  it  is  considered  as  a  proof  of  approbation, 
and  not  as  a  mere  thoughtless  instinctive  impulse;  and 
even  her  very  denial  of  hurtful  gratification  is  accompa¬ 
nied  by  a  manner  and  an  explanation  eminently  calcu¬ 
lated  to  enforce  conviction  and  secure  esteem.  Such  a 
mother  walks  amidst  her  children  as  an  object  of  affec¬ 
tionate  reverence,  an  equitable  distributor  of  rewards 
and  punishments;  from  whose  justice,  propriety  of  con¬ 
duct  is  always  secure  of  a  recompense,  and  from  whose 
weakness,  criminality  cannot  speculate  upon  impunity. 

If  there  be  anything,  which,  above  all  other  con¬ 
siderations,  I  would  press  upon  parents  with  peculiar 
earnestness,  it  is  this — that,  in  the  management  of  chil¬ 
dren,  there  should  be  no  apparent  diversity  of  opinion  or 
system  between  father  and  mother.  Wherever  such 
difference  exists,  it  is  uniformly  destructive;  the  judg¬ 
ment  of  each  parent  being  alternately  undervalued,  and 
the  authority  of  both  too  often  eventually  undermined. 
It  usually  happens,  indeed,  in  such  cases,  that  a 
wretched  system  of  deceit  and  tyranny  springs  into 
existence.  The  mother  frequently  encourages  or  con¬ 
nives  at  actions,  of  which  the  father  disapproves;  con¬ 
cealment  or  apology  is  therefore  her  object,  whilst 
detection  and  punishment  are  his.  Such  a  course  once 
begun,  action  and  re-action  mutually  increase  the  evil. 


79 


OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION. 


45 


The  more  the  father  is  deceived,  he  becomes  the  more 
severe;  and  in  proportion  as  his  severity  increases, 
the  mother  redoubles,  in  concert  with  the  child,  her 
efforts  of  deception.  Thus,  both  parents  sin  against 
nature;  the  one  in  fostering  folly  and  hypocrisy,  the 
other  in  becoming  a  tyrant.  The  child,  too,  is  even¬ 
tually  taught  to  sin  against  nature  —  to  despise  one 
parent,  and  to  hate  another.  And,  what  is  equally 
deplorable,  the  mutual  affection  and  confidence  of  the 
parents  themselves  are  impaired;  and  that  very  being, 
who  ought  to  be  the  most  sacred  bond  of  union,  often 
becomes  a  source  of  division  and  alienation.  Whatever 
diversity  of  opinion,  therefore,  may  happen  to  exist 
between  fathers  and  mothers,  it  should  be  entirely  set¬ 
tled  or  compromised  in  private,  that  the  slightest 
symptom  of  it  may  not  appear  before  their  children. 
A  divided  authority  is  always  weak;  and  there  can  be 
no  case  in  which  it  is  more  destructive,  for  c  a  house 
to  be  divided  against  itself,’  than  in  the  education  of 
the  young.  Parental  wisdom  should  never  be  doubted, 
parental  impartiality  should  never  be  suspected,  parental 
authority  should  never  be  the  subject  of  dispute.  If  a 
mother  be  too  indulgent,  let  there  be  a  private  admoni¬ 
tion;  if  a  father  be  too  severe,  there  ought  to  be  a 
secret  remonstrance.  Even  where  a  restraint  may  have 
been  tyrannical,  or  a  punishment  inflicted  beyond  due 
bounds,  there  should  never  be  a  sudden  and  repentant 
relaxation.  Such  alternate  rigor  and  relenting  are 
exceedingly  common,  and  exceedingly  mischievous. 
The  boy  hates  a  power  that  is  exercised  without  rea¬ 
son,  speculates  upon  undue  indulgence  as  a  recompense 
for  unmerited  suffering,  and  looks  upon  himself  rather 


46 


IMPORTANCE  AND  METHOD 


80 


as  the  victim  of  his  father’s  improper  passion,  than  as 
the  object  of  a  just  and  necessary  correction.  To  pre¬ 
vent  such  consequences,  it  is  the  part  of  true  wisdom  to 
follow  the  gentler  suggestions  of  nature;  and  to  keep 
always  rather  within  than  beyond  the  bounds  of  rigor¬ 
ous  justice. 

You  are  no  doubt  anxious,  my  Christian  friends,  to 
establish  your  children  in  circumstances  of  worldly  com¬ 
petence  and  respectability.  This  is  a  natural,  a  lau¬ 
dable,  a  religious  desire.  An  honest  independence  is  one 
of  the  greatest  blessings  of  existence.  It  enables  a 
man  to  walk  amidst  his  fellows,  of  whatever  rank,  with 
a  firm  step,  a  manly  aspect,  and  a  tranquil  heart.  It 
affords  him  the  means  of  moderate,  rational,  and  decent 
enjoyment,  both  in  his  individual  and  social  capacity; 
and,  what  is  still  more,  it  enables  him  to  c  taste  the 
luxury  of  doing  good.5  But,  let  it  ever  be  remembered, 
that  even  this  valuable  independence  should  never  be 
purchased  by  sacrifices  or  exertions,  which  would  raise 
a  blush  upon  the  cheek,  or  excite  a  pang  in  the  heart. 
If  you  can  exalt  your  children  to  affluence  and  station 
by  honorable  means,  whilst  you  impress  those  sound 
principles  of  religion  and  morality,  which  will  enable 
them  to  enjoy  and  to  improve  the  blessings  of  their  lot, 
you  become  not  merely  the  benefactors  of  your  families, 
but  also  of  your  kind.  If,  however,  it  be  your  sole 
object  to  confer  affluence  upon  them  for  its  own  sake, 
without  any  attention  to  the  dispositions  and  virtues 
which  would  render  it  a  source  of  personal  and  public 
advantage,  you  would  more  consult  their  substantial 
interest  and  happiness  by  placing  them  in  the  humblest 


81 


OF  RELIGIOUS  EDUCATION. 


47 


condition  of  honest  industry.  I  solemnly  declare  that 
I  would  rather  bequeath  to  my  child  the  honorable 
inheritance  of  good  principles  and  a  good  name,  than 
c  millions  of  silver  and  gold  5  with  an  ungoverned  spirit, 
or  a  corrupted  heart.  We  all  know  the  uncertainty  of 
reputation,  and  fortune,  and  power.  We  farther  know 
that  were  they  even  permanent  in  their  own  nature, 
they  have  not  the  capacity  of  conferring  virtue  or 
happiness.  On  the  contrary,  they  have  a  natural  ten¬ 
dency  to  render  the  heart  presumptuous,  to  inflame  the 
passions,  and  to  foster  crime.  Neither  can  they  ward 
off  the  stroke  of  disease,  nor  the  shafts  of  calamity. 
In  the  gloomy  hour  of  dissolution,  c  when  the  heart 
sinks,  and  the  spirits  fail,  and  there  is  no  pleasure  in 
life,5  they  cannot  afford  one  gleam  of  hope,  or  one  mo¬ 
ment  of  consolation.  Under  such  circumstances,  how 
different  is  the  lot  of  him,  who  has  been  educated  with 
sound  principles  of  piety  and  morality!  With  regard 
to  all  his  true  interests,  he  is  entirely  independent  of 
the  chances  and  changes  of  the  world;  and  even  in  the 
last  solemn  hour,  the  light  of  a  good  conscience  and  the 
staff  of  Christian  hope  cheer  and  sustain  his  spirit,  as 
he  journeys  c  through  the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,5 
to  a  better  country  and  a  Father’s  home. 

In  conclusion,  Christian  parents,  if  you  desire  that 
your  children  should  be  duly  guided  by  your  instructions, 
show  them  in  all  things  the  sincerity  and  value  of 
your  precepts,  by  their  happy  influence  upon  your  own 
i  lives  and  conversation.5  Example  is  the  most  agree¬ 
able  and  the  most  powerful  instructer.  As  they  learn 
your  language,  copy  your  manners,  and  acquire  your 


?8  I3IP0RTANCE  vtND  METHOD,  &C.  82 

habits  of  thinking  upon  ordinary  subjects,  so  will  they 
become  imbued  with  your  Christian  temper  and  princi* 
pies.  But,  remember,  if  you  L  walk  not  worthy  of  the 
high  vocation  wherewith  you  are  called,’  your  example 
must  be  destructive,  and  you  can  no  longer  be  objects 
of  affection  or  respect.  Do  not  force  your  children  to 
err  against  nature.  No  child  can  love  a  tyrant,  a  sen¬ 
sualist,  a  despiser  of  religion,  a  neglecter  of  parental 
duties.  Walk  in  the  midst  of  your  families,  in  the  con¬ 
stant  exercise  of  kindness  tempered  with  firmness,  of 
piety  without  austerity,  of  holiness  adorned  by  cheer¬ 
fulness,  and  you  cannot  fail,  in  the  virtues  and  happiness 
of  your  children,  to  reap  an  abundant  harvest  of  joy 
and  peace. 


